Whatever the truth, Brawn is gone now, perhaps forever. It is believed that he
will take a break while he considers his next move – as he did when he left
Ferrari in 2006.
And while there may be opportunities down the line at McLaren (who should be
moving heaven and earth to sign him), Honda, Williams or the FIA, Brawn may
find that at 59, with an estimated £100million in the bank, a life of
angling and staying still for more than two weeks at a time rather appeals.
The question is will Mercedes live to regret allowing him to walk out of the
door? Perhaps straight into the arms of a rival? And what must Hamilton, who
admitted that Brawn’s presence was a major factor in his decision to defect
from Woking, be thinking? (beyond the official Twitter reaction: “Massive
thanks to Ross Brawn. He’s been a great leader and teacher for me. Ross has
built the foundations for us to succeed in 2014! Toto and Paddy are
fantastic guys and strong leaders for the team. I’ve started my training
already and can’t wait for 2014!)
Lowe is a very good engineer and an incredibly nice guy. He is also a lot
tougher than people give him credit for. And it may be that the structure
really is perfectly in place for the team to go on and clean up in 2014.
But any team would miss someone of the calibre of Brawn, a man who has a
winning habit so long he should be called Mother Superior. A team principal
who, unlike many today, has a strong engineering background. Who understands
not only where to find the loopholes but has the rare ability to then put
forward the case as to why a double diffuser, say, should be declared legal.
A brilliant strategist with an uncanny ability to read a race and react to
what is happening on track.
Brawn – ‘the Big Bear’ as Button was fond of calling him in 2009 – leaves a
giant hole to fill in every sense.