F1: Ross Brawn to step down as Mercedes team principal

The team which houses Lewis Hamilton finished second in the Constructors' World Championship this season

Ross Brawn with Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel (GETTY IMAGES)

Ross Brawn is to step down from his position as Mercedes team principal at the end of the year, ending months of speculation.

Brawn made clear at the start of the year he would only remain in charge if he could be the point of reference.

But, after lengthy discussions, the Brackley-based team is now to be run by Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe in their roles as executive director (business) and executive director (technical) respectively.

Brawn, who will formally leave the team on December 31, said: "The most important consideration in my decision to step down from the role as team principal was to ensure that the timing was right for the team in order to ensure its future success.

"The succession planning process that we have implemented during this year means we are now ready to conduct the transition from my current responsibilities to a new leadership team composed of Toto and Paddy."

Non-executive chairman Niki Lauda has tried for months to persuade one of the most successful men in the sport to stay on, especially ahead of the most dramatic change in the regulations for 2014.

The V8-powered era came to an end with Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, with Formula One to run turbo-charged 1.6-litre V6 powertrains from next season.

Despite that, and on the back of Mercedes' highest finish in the constructors' championship this season since their return to the sport in 2010 with second, Brawn feels compelled to leave.

Believing he departs with the team in good shape, Brawn added: "Mercedes-Benz has invested significantly in both the personnel and infrastructure at Brackley and Brixworth (engines).

"Thanks to the one-team approach we have implemented between the two facilities, the team is uniquely positioned to succeed in 2014 and I am proud to have helped lay the foundations for that success.

"However, 2014 will mark the beginning of a new era in the sport.

"We therefore felt this was the right time to simultaneously begin a new era of team management to ensure the organisation is in the strongest possible competitive position for the years to come.

"We can take pride not just in our on-track achievements but also in the organisation we have built at Brackley.

"In its different guises over the past six seasons this team has delivered some of the most memorable moments of my career.

"Our second place in this season's constructors' championship is an important milestone on the road to championship success.

"I am confident the future will hold just as much success for the team and will take real pride in having played my own part in those achievements."

Despite Lauda's efforts to keep Brawn on board, the three-times F1 world champion appreciates he was ultimately powerless to stop him from quitting.

"First of all and most importantly, we must say thank you to Ross," Lauda said.

"When you consider the step that has been made from finishing fifth in 2012 to the second place that we have secured this season, he has been the architect of this success.

"He put the plans in place to recruit key people since early 2011, and the performance this season shows the team is on the right track.

"We have had long discussions with Ross about how he could continue with the team, but it is a basic fact you cannot hold somebody back when they have chosen to move on.

"Ross has decided this is the right time to hand over the reins to Toto and Paddy and we respect his decision.

"Toto and Paddy are the right people to lead our team in 2014 and beyond."

Upon the arrival of Lowe from McLaren in the middle of the year, Brawn remarked at the time there would be "a soft handover".

It is now clear the past months have represented that phase.

Dr Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: "Last winter we restructured the management of our Formula One activities, with the support of Niki.

"The first step was to convince Toto to join us (from Williams) to run our Mercedes-Benz motorsport activities and our Formula One company.

"The second step was the recruitment of Paddy during 2013.

"This gave us a clear succession plan for the time when Ross decided to step down from his current role, and that time has now come.

"I have every confidence Toto and Paddy will build on Ross' good work and they possess exactly the balance of skills required to lead our team to world championship success.

"I would like to personally thank Ross for the calm authority with which he has led our works team since 2010, for his crucial contribution to our team's development and also for the undoubted share he will have in our future success.

"It has been a pleasure working with him over the past four years and I extend all my very best wishes to him for the future."

Brawn has appreciably linked with a number of roles, notably with regard to Honda's return to F1 in 2015 when they will supply McLaren with the new powertrain units, along with a position at the FIA.

Brawn, who celebrated his 59th birthday on Saturday, has played a part in 16 titles overall - eight drivers' and eight constructors'.

Arguably his most defining moment came in 2009 when, with his own team following Honda's exit from F1, he helped Jenson Button claim the world title.

PA