Merc's "Lowe"-down for success

McLaren could be set to lose its technical director, as Germany’s Sport Bild is reporting that Paddy Lowe, who has been with the Woking based team for twenty years, is following Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes.

The report said that new executive director Toto Wolff wooed Briton Lowe, 50, for a switch to Williams, but Austrian Wolff has subsequently moved to Mercedes.

“This is big news,” Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko is quoted.

McLaren declined to comment, according to Britain’s Daily Telegraph.

Sport Bild said the other major changes at Mercedes, including the rise of Niki Lauda and the departure of Norbert Haug, could indicate that Ross Brawn and Nick Fry are preparing to leave.

The most endangered, however, appears to be Fry, with Mercedes’ media statement on Monday saying: “Together with Ross Brawn, Lauda and Wolff will complete the management” of the team.

According to Italy’s Autosprint, Mercedes’ F1 shares are now split between Daimler (60 %), Wolff (30 %) and Lauda (10 %).

As he visited Mercedes’ Stuttgart facilities on Monday, Hamilton said he knew nothing about Lowe’s reportedly imminent McLaren-to-Mercedes switch.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Autosprint reported that Wolff’s move from Williams to Mercedes could result in Williams being powered by a turbo Mercedes engine in 2014.

Wife Susie Wolff, however, is staying as a Williams test driver.

“Very happy for my husband,” she wrote on Twitter. “We will be fighting him hard on track!” (GMM)

 

You have to be kidding me, this is insane. Mercedes are buying the field. Go Lewis

 

Kinda comical at this point. Apparently they have never heard of "too many cooks in the kitchen." And then all these people have to listen to Niki Lauda?

Lol, doomed for failure...

 

It leads me to believe at least one of them (Bell, Willis, Costa, Brawn) will head out the door.

 

You're probably right. I'm excited for 2013 already...just a few weeks away from testing!

 

Well think about it, when was the last time a team built itself to a rediculous level?? Bells should be ringing on Ferrarichat of all places as that's precisely what Ferrari did in the late 90s. Then Dede built Red Bull to the same order, now Mercedes are doing so.

 

I hear you, but I don't think that's what either did;

Ferrari was always led by JT. Ross as technical director. Rory designing.
The Cans are CH & Newey.
Done job.

They've now got at least 3 team principal caliber guys! Plus Toto. Plus Niki. eek Seems crazy to me.

Cheers,
Ian

 

I'd be very curious to know their real life personalities. They all are obviously very sharp fellows, but do any carry an 'Flavio' like characteristics? Personally I don't see it, they all seem too objective and engineer-like to be so fussy. I suspect the most odd characteristic one has is some oddly precise temperature for their coffee.

 

+1

 

+2

*Unless* they're trying to create two completely separate teams!? *Maybe* they're gonna put the 2014 guys in the rumored new factory in Germany and leave 'em alone for a year.

IIRC, someone else tried something similar a while back. Failed miserably if memory serves.....

Just a WAG.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Tifosi12's assessment of the situation:
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lol

 

That made my day hahahaha. This is getting ridiculous, seriously.

 

Ian mentioned that Mercedes could simply be developing another time to develope the 2014 car, which is very much a old Mclaren-like thing to do. Geoff Willis and Paddy Lowe can handle 2014 whilst Costa, Bell can handle 2013.

I think people, as I am, are shocked. No one is doing anything this radical. Plucking the feathers from other teams and forming a sort of freakshow team may be the new type of F1 corporate head-hunting which changes the game.

 

I somehow tend to believe that it's Niki who is behind everything.

 

And what on this blue and green Earth does Niki Lauda know about modern F1?? I'm not angry about it, but they (the board) clearly know something we don't, or perhaps they certainly do not as well!

 

I have absolutely no idea if Lauda is destroying the team or if it turns out to be a masterly plan, but I'm sure he is the one responsible for what's going on!

 

Maybe their approach is to try to buy up all the talent they can get so that there is no talent left anywhere else on the grid.

 

That's my guess actually. Hamper the other teams

Helmut has certainly voiced his opinion that this is a 'huge deal' with Paddy Lowe though. Paddy is pretty much Mclaren's version of Newey, and Mclaren had the quickest car of 2012.

 

Not worried about a brain drain. McL will equip themselves nicely.

 

Careful, people on here will tell you that we have to regard everything the oldtimers do/say as gospel...

 

I think that was McLaren's pit crew at the start of last year
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I predict Ferrari will not have to worry about Mercedes and Hamilton but man, maybe they will be contenders. They certainly are making a lot of moves. But, then again, it may turn into a case of too many cooks. Just hard to say.

Newey is a better designer than the guys at MB and Vettel is probably a better driver than Hamilton. So that tells me RB will be the ones to beat in 2013. Lots of story lines developing. I'm getting excited.

-F

 

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They might end up with a very disappointed Ross Brawn or without a director altogether.
A chance for good ol' Aldo Costa.

http://www.f1sa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35995:f1--mclaren-bosses-working-to-keep-formula-1-team-technical-director-aboard&catid=1:f1&Itemid=157