Ross Brawn: Lack of trust with Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda led to Mercedes exit

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Ross Brawn and Toto Wolff
Ross Brawn (left) alongside current Mercedes boss Toto Wolff in 2013

Ex-Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn says a breakdown in his relationship with current bosses Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda was behind his departure in 2013.

The Brawn team won both world titles in 2009 - having been salvaged from the failed Honda operation - before being sold to Mercedes in 2010.

"People were imposed on me who I couldn't trust," Brawn says, in a new book due to be published next month.

"I never knew really what they were trying to do."

The 61-year-old Briton, who masterminded Michael Schumacher's seven world titles at Benetton and Ferrari, added: "Niki would tell me one thing, then I would hear he was saying something else."

Brawn's version of events is set out in 'Total competition, lessons in strategy from Formula 1', an advance copy of which has been seen by Reuters.

Brawn said he discovered early in 2013 that Paddy Lowe, now technical head at Mercedes, had been signed from McLaren - a move that at the time prompted speculation over Brawn's future.

He eventually left the team at the end of the 2013 season after failing to agree the scope of his future role. That left Mercedes to be run in tandem by their two executive directors, Wolff and Lowe, along with non-executive chairman Lauda.

"When I challenged Toto and Niki, they both blamed each other," said Brawn. "I met them together to have it out with them and they both pointed to each other.

"Even with Paddy Lowe, I was never quite sure - he was quite happy to jump in and take my job.

"I couldn't trust those people so I saw no future unless I was willing to go to war and remove them."

Ross Brawn, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg
Mercedes' current drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, were signed during Ross Brawn's time as team principal

Brawn also claimed Wolff made critical comments about him in a taped conversation with former F1 team boss Colin Kolles.

"He said that I was resting on my money now. I had got all this money and I wasn't interested in the team any more and I wasn't motivated and I wasn't doing this, I wasn't doing that. That the team needed a fresh impetus," said Brawn.

"So I was beginning to deal with people who I didn't feel I could ultimately trust - people within the team who had let me down already in terms of their approach."

Wolff, Lauda and Lowe were not immediately available for comment.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg leads team-mate Lewis Hamilton by 33 points in the drivers' standings heading into this weekend's US GP in Austin, Texas.

Mercedes wrapped up a third straight constructors' title at the previous round in Japan.

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46 comments

  • A British F1 championship winner didn't trust members of his Mercedes team so did the right thing and walked away instead of blabbing to the media about it at the time.

  • One of the very few good guys in F1, honest and a true sporting gentleman.

    You can ignore him or decry him if you wish, but he will never stoop to the gutter tactics we see daily from so many others involved in all aspects of the F1 business.

  • Won everything there is to win in F1 (except as a driver) 61 years old, millions in the bank, one of the rarest and most expensive Ferraris in the world sitting in your garage and your realtive good health. Ross why worry?? It's water all under the bridge now.

  • Mercedes have been loosing their lead over the field for the last 2 years, this is mainly due to loosing Ross Brawn.
    in one way it is a shame for them, in another it is fantastic for the sport. Ross please go and sort McLaren out!!!

  • My gut reaction is that this is not surprising of Wolff and Lauda. You just get that feeling that they are more than capable of manipulating their preferred way. This will probably fuel conspiracy theory with regard to Lewis's reliability issues.

  • One of the very best in F1 and sorely missed now. Would love to see him back and better still at the FIA.

  • Well it's not to surprising is it. To be honest I would love to see Ross brawn back in F1. Let's see what toto and co can do up against one the the very best engineer in the game. It would be great to see at Williams but we can all dream.

  • It's no coincidence that Ross brings a book out (after all these years) just as Ron is about to be forced out. Ross will be at McLaren Honda next year - and can't wait for that.......

  • I'm amazed the three-headed monster that is the Merc management team works as well as it does. Never thought it would.

    Obviously Ross wasn't part of the plans, and when that happens in any business, you're best off out of it.

    His absence is very much F1's loss though. I'd love to see him contributing to the running of the sport but totally understand if he prefers to enjoy his retirement.

  • Have great respect for RB - his achievements in F1 are unique. However,when you sell your company, you relinquish control - and once you have done that.....

    Would love to see him back in F1 with another team, as I'm sure that he would make them (whoever - even Manor) more competitive.

    And sport thrives on competition, not domination.

  • We all have our favourites and those we don't like. I've always had the greatest respect for Ross Brawn and what he has achieved in big teams and the fairy tale with his own team. I have always felt that Mercedes are "corporate bullies" and that having bought a team on the cheap (Brawn) then exploited their corporate influence to get an unfair advantage with new regulations. This proves my fears.

  • Not really surprising as I have dealt with Germans for many years but I don't confuse Germans with Austrians. German engineering is excellent but Mercedes could not have success without dear old GB know-how.

  • The fact that once again every thread has to be linked by his worshipers to Lewis Hamilton is frankly hilarious. Ross Brawn was designing cars and running teams when Lewis Hamilton was in nappies and has also presided over cars; teams and drivers, when drivers actually drove the car rather than the "playstation and joystick" brigade we have now. Lets stick to the subject not the whinging child!

  • McLaren should hire him to take over from Ron Dennis. Both great guys but Ron got other things on his mind and would love to see Ross back in F1.

  • funny how there were no conspiracy theories in the previous 2 seasons when it was Rosberg with the engine problems

  • Brawn is massively talented and successful. Also popular.

    To be fair, MB haven´t really suffered without his input.

  • Surely this is old news? How long ago did this happen?

  • I would love to hear Ross's take on the reliability issues of the team this year. I sense open season on "conspiracy" is about to resurface. If anyone would know the reason for change of mechanics he would, but there again he would not say methinks!

  • Unfortunately, I think that Brawn was pushed out by Wolff and Lauda in a power game that he was always going to lose. This was as much as Brawn vs Wolff and Lauda as Brawn GP vs Merc. It's a power game and unfortunately, without a Michael Schumacher in there to be a buffer between the two parties, it was inevitable. Slam him as much as we like, but Michael didn't do too bad for the sport hey?

  • 11. Ian

    You ask for everyone to stick to the subject, but can't help offering up your opinion on LH. Practice what you preach!

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