“Lowe won’t be technical director; he will be more senior than that. But he
will not be called team principal either, because that will be Wolff.
But Lowe will effectively be running the team on a day-to-day basis.” Wolff
insisted that he had no knowledge of any such plan, stressing that he was
new to the team and adding that he “hoped” Brawn would stay. But it was
hardly the most robust denial.
“Ross is there and Ross is part of the leading team and I hope Ross is going
to stay,” Wolff said. “This is the current situation. If you look at Ross’s
track record, it’s fantastic.”
Brawn’s track record is not in doubt. Having worked alongside Michael
Schumacher during all seven of his world championships at first Benetton and
then Ferrari, Brawn led a management buyout of Honda in 2009 and proceeded
to wrap up a championship double under his own name. The 58 year-old and Fry
then sold Brawn GP to Mercedes for vast amounts of money.
Brawn is a shrewd operator.
What is unclear is Mercedes’ strategy, the chain of command with so many
chiefs — and what Hamilton makes of it all. By a happy coincidence, both
Brawn and Hamilton are scheduled to speak to the British media in Brackley
on Thursday and the questions are likely to come thick and fast. Are the
latest reports true?
And, if so, was Hamilton aware that Mercedes intended to shake things up to
this degree? After all, when he signed Hamilton made a point of saying how
much he was looking forward to working with Brawn.
Or perhaps Hamilton was aware all along? There have been rumours circulating
for some time that Brawn was on thin ice. Niki Lauda’s arrival as
non-executive chairman appeared to be a sign that Stuttgart intended to
wrestle back control of the team and Lauda was reportedly instrumental in
the negotiations with Hamilton.
Perhaps this was the vision he sold to the Briton; a future without Brawn. It
seems unlikely. But with Wolff’s sudden arrival on the scene, and with Lowe
reportedly waiting in the wings, it is not beyond the realms of possibility.
McLaren, who declined to comment on Tuesday, will presumably fight to keep
Lowe. And even if he does sign with Mercedes he would presumably be pruning
roses for six months or so before he could begin work at Brackley.
If the latest reports are true Brawn may not hang around even that long.