Ross Brawn is set to leave his position as Mercedes team principal at the end of the year, the BBC report.
It is expected that Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe - who are both executive directors - and Niki Lauda, non-executive director, will move forward and lead the outfit.
Sources close to the BBC say Brawn and Mercedes failed to reach an agreement on a role that he would be happy to move to within the team. However, both have failed to comment on the news.
The 58-year-old's future at Mercedes has come under increased doubt over the past few months with Lowe joining from McLaren earlier in the year. He has long been viewed as the former Ferrari technical director's successor at the Brackley based outfit.
Brawn started his motorsport career in 1976 when he joined March Engineering as a milling machine operator. He was soon moved to their Formula 3 team as a mechanic before joining Williams and progressing through the ranks.
Brief stints in the Haas Lola and Arrows F1 teams led to a move to Jaguar's sports car racing division where he designed the 1991 World Sportscar Championship winning Jaguar XJR-14.
In that same year he joined Benetton as technical director for their F1 team. He helped the team to two world championships with Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995 as well as the constructor's crown in the latter. He then moved with the German driver to Ferrari in 1996 in what was an incredibly successful partnership.
The team took six consecutive constructor's crowns and five driver's titles for Schumacher between 2000 and 2004. Brawn then took a year off before joining Honda in 2008. After their departure at the end of the year, he helped save the team after completing a 100% buy-out and renaming the squad Brawn GP.
It was a fairy-tale debut season with a stunning start to the season. Jenson Button won six of the first seven races and took the driver's title at the penultimate round in Brazil. They also took the constructor's crown before being bought out by Mercedes-Benz in November 2009.
Brawn has been the Mercedes team principal even since but this season looks to be his last. He said over the Japanese Grand Prix weekend that he wanted to stay but sources close to the team say that was never an option.
Mercedes believe that a single team principal is an outdated concept in the world of modern Formula 1. Brawn's future is now unclear but he has been linked to roles helping Honda's new F1 engine programme or a position at the FIA.
Some suggested he could move to Williams but, at the moment, no discussions have been made. Claire Williams told the Mirror: "There have been no conversations with Ross."
Current Mercedes non-executive director Niki Lauda also told the Daily Mail that he is trying to persuade Brawn to stay: "I am trying everything I can to encourage and motivate him to stay. I want him to do it. But it is not my decision; it is his decision. If he stays he will be team principal - nothing else - or he will retire. With a new car and new engine, all the changes next year, I hope he will not leave."
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| (c) Octane Photographic |
Sources close to the BBC say Brawn and Mercedes failed to reach an agreement on a role that he would be happy to move to within the team. However, both have failed to comment on the news.
The 58-year-old's future at Mercedes has come under increased doubt over the past few months with Lowe joining from McLaren earlier in the year. He has long been viewed as the former Ferrari technical director's successor at the Brackley based outfit.
Brawn started his motorsport career in 1976 when he joined March Engineering as a milling machine operator. He was soon moved to their Formula 3 team as a mechanic before joining Williams and progressing through the ranks.
Brief stints in the Haas Lola and Arrows F1 teams led to a move to Jaguar's sports car racing division where he designed the 1991 World Sportscar Championship winning Jaguar XJR-14.
In that same year he joined Benetton as technical director for their F1 team. He helped the team to two world championships with Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995 as well as the constructor's crown in the latter. He then moved with the German driver to Ferrari in 1996 in what was an incredibly successful partnership.
The team took six consecutive constructor's crowns and five driver's titles for Schumacher between 2000 and 2004. Brawn then took a year off before joining Honda in 2008. After their departure at the end of the year, he helped save the team after completing a 100% buy-out and renaming the squad Brawn GP.
It was a fairy-tale debut season with a stunning start to the season. Jenson Button won six of the first seven races and took the driver's title at the penultimate round in Brazil. They also took the constructor's crown before being bought out by Mercedes-Benz in November 2009.
Brawn has been the Mercedes team principal even since but this season looks to be his last. He said over the Japanese Grand Prix weekend that he wanted to stay but sources close to the team say that was never an option.
Mercedes believe that a single team principal is an outdated concept in the world of modern Formula 1. Brawn's future is now unclear but he has been linked to roles helping Honda's new F1 engine programme or a position at the FIA.
Some suggested he could move to Williams but, at the moment, no discussions have been made. Claire Williams told the Mirror: "There have been no conversations with Ross."
Current Mercedes non-executive director Niki Lauda also told the Daily Mail that he is trying to persuade Brawn to stay: "I am trying everything I can to encourage and motivate him to stay. I want him to do it. But it is not my decision; it is his decision. If he stays he will be team principal - nothing else - or he will retire. With a new car and new engine, all the changes next year, I hope he will not leave."
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