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[Hammer278]

Hmm, I wonder if Mercedes are going to end up going the same way as Jaguar...

Jaguar had NIki Lauda as their team manager..... it was a destined failure.

[What's Burning?]

Given that Mercedes made an official announcement yesterday saying Brawn was part of the team along with Wolff and Lauda, I think his job is safe.

[racechick]

I think Brawn will be safe. I'd be worried if Lauda was getting the nod And the say so over him, that would not be good. But Merc would surely be stupid to do that. Not sure about Fry though.


EDIT: BBC saying Mercedes want to replace Brawn, not read it yet, just been told

[racechick]

Here's the BBc one.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/21143847
Eddie Jordan thinks fry and Brawn are out and Lowe has agreed to go but not signed the contract yet.

[What's Burning?]

yeah, that's what I meant... just YESTERDAY, it's even on F1.com, so to make an announcement that specifically includes his place in the team to then the next day have these rumors fly is contradictory unless Merc is covering.

[myownalias]

None of this really matters; personnel change, suppliers change, that's the nature of F1; the only true measure is results on the track!

[Hammer278]

Results on the track is the end product of who is making the calls, who is supplying, the capability of individuals being shifted around....so it all matters very much indeed.

[myownalias]

The point I am making is that the names are not important; it's what those names achieve in the future; what they've done in the past is irrelevant!

[LRW]

And this is Mr Ted Kravitz thoughts......

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/25460/8425362/Sky-Sports-F1-Q-A-Ted-Kravitz-on-Mercedes-management-restructure

Sky Sports F1 pundit Ted Kravitz tries to make sense of the ongoing speculation that the appointment of Toto Wolff as Mercedes' Executive Director could spark further management upheaval, with rumours rife that Paddy Lowe could arrive to replace Ross Brawn...

So what's going on at Mercedes?
TK: "The last few weeks have seen some intense activity at the top of Mercedes GP team. And we're only now starting to understand what's been going on. I think the first point to be clear on is that Niki Lauda is in charge. He clearly doesn't understand the non-executive part of his title, which is meant to be non-executive chairman because he's been acting very much as an executive chairman. Ever since he joined the team, I understand that Lauda has even made it clear to Ross Brawn that Brawn reports to him and that he then reports to the Mercedes board. So there's clearly a big change going on at the management of the team."

And how does Toto Wolff fit into Mercedes' management?
TK: "He's been brought in as 'executive director', which sounds an awful lot like a Team Principal to me. Brawn is a very proud man and you can imagine that he might have taken Lauda's appointment above him in his stride. But having someone like Wolff, with much less experience, come in alongside must have been grating for the World championship-winning team boss."

So where does this leave Brawn?
TK: "From what Wolff was saying in Tuesday's phone-in conference, that's clearly what they're discussing at Mercedes. There's no doubt that the team is, technically speaking, top-heavy with not only former Technical Director Ross Brawn as Team Principal but also three other former Technical Directors in Bob Bell, Geoff Willis and Aldo Costa performing technical and engineering directorship roles. I understand that Lauda agrees with the rest of the F1 paddock: that this is rather more Technical Directors than one team needs. As for Brawn's position, he acts as the conductor of an orchestra and is a big figure - both physically and metaphorically - in tying the team together."

So what happens next?
TK: "I don't think it's out of the question that Brawn could leave and I don't think it would have been his choice for it to end up that way. And what Lewis Hamilton would think of it, heaven only knows"

Why might Lauda not want to keep Brawn?
TK: "I don't think it's that Brawn has done anything wrong, but there are two aspects to look at here. Firstly, whatever has been happening under Mercedes with Brawn at the helm since they won the Championship as Brawn in 2009 hasn't worked. They've just had the solitary win with Nico Rosberg in China in 2012, although there are good reasons why they haven't been able to achieve more. They've been working under a smaller budget than the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari and they've been integrating the team into the larger Mercedes family. But Lauda may consider that the new broom philosophy should extend to more people than just Norbert Haug [who left at the end of 2012]. There is a school of thought - one to which I must stress I don't subscribe, and I don't know if Lauda does - that Brawn needs a big rule change to win Championships like he did in 2009, or that he needs everything tipped in their favour like at Ferrari in the early 2000s to dominate.

"This may explain why some people might not rate Brawn. But F1 is about to have its most significant rule change in a long while with the new engine and fuel consumption formula coming in for 2014. So you'd certainly want a lateral thinking technical leader like Brawn in your team next year - not to mention a man with the sharpest brain when it comes to race strategy."

So, to return to your earlier point, just what will Lewis Hamilton make of all this?
TK: "He certainly won't be happy with the disruption to the team's equilibrium just two weeks before pre-season testing starts in Jerez. Any big change at the top of the team is unsettling and disturbing by definition. But I think there are two things that might mean that Hamilton isn't too worried. Firstly, it was Lauda who made all the moves in convincing Lewis to join Mercedes in the first place. The rumour is that Niki sealed the deal with Hamilton by text over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.

"So Hamilton has signed up for Lauda's vision of where he wants to take Mercedes - wherever that takes the technical leadership of the team. Secondly, Hamilton knows this is a long term project for him and that if something hasn't been working with a certain management team in charge, it doesn't make sense to keep on going with the same management and not change things.

"But on the other hand, there'd be another couple of things the neutral would say about this. Firstly, Lauda's previous attempt at team management didn't end particularly well with the Jaguar team being sold by Ford to Red Bull for £1. And also Lewis has, during his time at McLaren, seen from the outside how effective Brawn can be as a team boss. I remember when he announced his Mercedes deal, he made a point of saying he was looking forward to working under Brawn and that he respects him.

"So if Brawn doesn't stay for whatever reason then I would imagine Hamilton will, deep down, be little bit disappointed. Finally, what it boils down to is that in recent seasons, the Mercedes car hasn't been good enough - and that must be down to the design team. Ever since the double diffuser, their design team has not managed to produce the goods.

"Last year's foray down the double DRS route, while it helped them early on in the season, ultimately was a dead end. All Lewis needs is a well-designed car. He already knows the Mercedes engine is strong and his own abilities are not under question. So that only leaves the car. Surely all Mercedes attention should be on getting the aerodynamics and mechanics right rather than messing around tweaking their management structure. Hamilton will support the team whatever they do but privately he'll be saying, 'Just give me a good car and I'll do the rest'."

[What's Burning?]

The point I am making is that the names are not important; it's what those names achieve in the future; what they've done in the past is irrelevant!

that's what we're all hoping... that Adrian Newey's 2014 effort isn't like what he's done in the not too distant past.

[Nin-Chin]

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Still talking about Fernando...

[vaptin]

Brawn is a big figure, both physically and metaphorically

Tee-hee-hee.

[LewEngBridewell]

Hmm, I wonder if Mercedes are going to end up going the same way as Jaguar...

And get bought for $1 by Monster Energy Drinks?

[Hammer278]

Wolff wants to keep Brawn

Ross Brawn is always welcome at Mercedes says Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff, the new boss of Mercedes Motorsport has downplayed the rumor to the effect that questioned the role of Ross Brawn as team boss Mercedes.

The German company announced Monday that Wolff, who recently left his post as CEO of Williams, went to work in the management of its F1 team alongside Brawn and Niki Lauda , in addition to becoming a shareholder of the team.

On Tuesday, the German press reported that Wolff was trying to recruit McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe. According to British media, transfer to Lowe Mercedes could mean the departure of Brawn. For some observers, given the disappointing results of Mercedes since his return as a builder in 2010, Brawn could announce his departure as did Norbert Haug last December.

"I hope he will stay"

But Wolff said however on the contrary, he hoped that the current boss remains within the team and continues to lead the troops of Mercedes. Recall that Brawn won several world championships at Benetton, Ferrari and his team eponymous BrawnGP, the latter being the current Mercedes team.

"Ross is in place, it is part of the management team and I hope he will stay," said Wolff, whose remarks were reported by the journalist James Allen. "If you look at the charts of Ross, it is fantastic (...) I hope he will stay as long as possible."

"I am not yet visited (factory) Brackley to speak with Ross," said the new head of Mercedes Motorsport. "I need time to understand and analyze. It would be irresponsible to discuss replacing anyone."

[andrew]

Hmm, I wonder if Mercedes are going to end up going the same way as Jaguar...

And get bought for $1 by Monster Energy Drinks?

So what would happen if a Red Bull and a Monster crashed? Would a new drink be invented?