Mercedes AMG Petronas has confirmed that team principal Ross Brawn will step down and leave the team at the end of the year.
Brawn, who moved to the team when it was known as Honda at the end of 2007, will hand over his responsibilities to executive directors Toto Wolff (business) and Paddy Lowe (technical).
The Englishman's future at the Brackley-based squad was speculated throughout the 2013 season but now we have official confirmation that he will leave on December 31st.
The late departure date could suggest he isn't moving to another team just yet, although he has been strongly linked to a move to Williams as well as positions at Ferrari, McLaren, Honda or the FIA.
Brawn felt that, with the new regulations for 2014, it was the right time to leave: "The most important consideration in my decision to step down from the role as Team Principal was to ensure that the timing was right for the team in order to ensure its future success.
"The succession planning process that we have implemented during this year means we are now ready to conduct the transition from my current responsibilities to a new leadership team composed of Toto and Paddy.
"Mercedes-Benz has invested significantly in both the personnel and infrastructure at Brackley and Brixworth. Thanks to the one-team approach we have implemented between the two facilities, the team is uniquely positioned to succeed in 2014 and I am proud to have helped lay the foundations for that success.
"However, 2014 will mark the beginning of a new era in the sport. We therefore felt this was the right time to simultaneously begin a new era of team management to ensure that the organisation is in the strongest possible competitive position for the years to come.
"We can take pride not just in our on-track achievements but also in the organisation we have built at Brackley. In its different guises over the past six seasons, this team has delivered some of the most memorable moments of my career. Our second place in this season's Constructors' Championship is an important milestone on the road to championship success. I am confident that the future will hold just as much success for the team and will take real pride in having played my own part in those achievements."
Non-executive director Niki Lauda said they couldn't stop him from leaving, despite lengthily talks, and believes Wolff and Lowe are the right men to lead the team.
"First of all and most importantly, we must say thank you to Ross," he said. "When you consider the step that has been made from finishing fifth in 2012 to the second place that we have secured this season, he has been the architect of this success. He put the plans in place to recruit key people since early 2011, and the performance this season shows that the team is on the right track.
"We have had long discussions with Ross about how he could continue with the team but it is a basic fact that you cannot hold somebody back when they have chosen to move on. Ross has decided that this is the right time to hand over the reins to Toto and Paddy and we respect his decision. Toto and Paddy are the right people to lead our team in 2014 and beyond."
 |
| (c) Octane Photographic |
The Englishman's future at the Brackley-based squad was speculated throughout the 2013 season but now we have official confirmation that he will leave on December 31st.
The late departure date could suggest he isn't moving to another team just yet, although he has been strongly linked to a move to Williams as well as positions at Ferrari, McLaren, Honda or the FIA.
Brawn felt that, with the new regulations for 2014, it was the right time to leave: "The most important consideration in my decision to step down from the role as Team Principal was to ensure that the timing was right for the team in order to ensure its future success.
"The succession planning process that we have implemented during this year means we are now ready to conduct the transition from my current responsibilities to a new leadership team composed of Toto and Paddy.
"Mercedes-Benz has invested significantly in both the personnel and infrastructure at Brackley and Brixworth. Thanks to the one-team approach we have implemented between the two facilities, the team is uniquely positioned to succeed in 2014 and I am proud to have helped lay the foundations for that success.
"However, 2014 will mark the beginning of a new era in the sport. We therefore felt this was the right time to simultaneously begin a new era of team management to ensure that the organisation is in the strongest possible competitive position for the years to come.
"We can take pride not just in our on-track achievements but also in the organisation we have built at Brackley. In its different guises over the past six seasons, this team has delivered some of the most memorable moments of my career. Our second place in this season's Constructors' Championship is an important milestone on the road to championship success. I am confident that the future will hold just as much success for the team and will take real pride in having played my own part in those achievements."
Non-executive director Niki Lauda said they couldn't stop him from leaving, despite lengthily talks, and believes Wolff and Lowe are the right men to lead the team.
"First of all and most importantly, we must say thank you to Ross," he said. "When you consider the step that has been made from finishing fifth in 2012 to the second place that we have secured this season, he has been the architect of this success. He put the plans in place to recruit key people since early 2011, and the performance this season shows that the team is on the right track.
"We have had long discussions with Ross about how he could continue with the team but it is a basic fact that you cannot hold somebody back when they have chosen to move on. Ross has decided that this is the right time to hand over the reins to Toto and Paddy and we respect his decision. Toto and Paddy are the right people to lead our team in 2014 and beyond."
No comments:
Post a Comment