Paddy Lowe's departure confirmed by Mercedes

Arrived in mid-2013 within the German team from McLaren, Paddy Lowe had taken over as executive director in charge of technology. Under his leadership, Mercedes experienced one of the most successful periods in its history with three Drivers – Manufacturers doubles in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

For several weeks, the future of the 54-year-old Briton has been unclear within Mercedes AMG. F1, with rumors of departure to potentially return to the team of his debut in F1, Williams.

Having moved within the Grove structure in the late 80s and early 90s, Lowe had experienced the early years of Grove's dominance. Williams from 1992 with Nigel Mansell.

“I have had a successful and superb three and a half years at Mercedes, whilst working with a team of incredible people, comments Lowe. I now look forward to a new challenge and wish the best to everyone at Mercedes. »

Following the departure of Paddy Lowe, the technical team will, for the time being, work around Aldo Costa (Director of Engineering), Mark Ellis (Director of Performance), Rob Thomas (Director of Operations) and Geoff Willis (Chief Technology Officer).

“Paddy has played an important role in our success over the last three and a half years and we thank him for his contribution to this important chapter in Mercedes motorsport history., comments Toto wolff, boss of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.

Success in Formula 1 is not about individuals but the strength and technical ability of an organization. We have the talent in place to continue the momentum of recent years and we plan to build on that in 2017 and beyond. »

The departure of Paddy Lowe will soon be followed by the confirmation of the identity of Nico Rosberg's replacement. Valtteri Bottas, still a Williams driver, is often placed at the top of the list to join the star team.