LONDON: Ross Brawn will stand down as principal and leave the Mercedes Formula One team at the end of the year, Mercedes said in a statement on Thursday.
The Briton, who turned 59 last week, will hand over his responsibilities to executive directors Toto Wolff (business) and Paddy Lowe (technical) and formally leave the team on December 31.
The official announcement ended one of the longest running sagas of the season, with speculation surrounding Brawn’s future since before the championship started in March.
Brawn is one of the most successful and respected figures in the sport after winning a string of world championships with three different teams.
The Englishman was the tactical brains behind Michael Schumacher’s seven world championships – two with Benetton and then five at Ferrari between 2000-04 .
After leaving Ferrari at the end of 2006 to take a sabbatical he he joined Honda and led the subsequent reincarnation Brawn GB, which won both championships in 2009 and was later sold to Mercedes. (Reuters)
