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Mercedes has agreed terms with McLaren for Paddy Lowe to join the Brackley team as of Monday June 3.

McLaren said earlier this year that Lowe was under contract until the end of the season, but their arrangement allows the erstwhile McLaren technical director to make a significant contribution to Merc’s 2014 turbo project. It remains to be see what McLaren has received by way of compensation.

Lowe has a newly created job title and the team has stressed that Ross Brawn is still in charge.

Mercedes says: “Paddy will strengthen MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS in the role of Executive Director (Technical) and will work closely with Team Principal, Ross Brawn; Executive Director (Business), Toto Wolff; and the team’s senior technical management. As Team Principal, Ross Brawn will retain overall responsibility for technical and sporting matters.”

Lowe commented: “The team has already produced probably the fastest car of the 2013 season while the technical challenges of the new regulations for 2014 will give us the opportunity to maximise the synergies available to a works manufacturer. That is a challenge I am relishing. I have worked closely with Mercedes-Benz for almost 20 years and deeply admire the company’s phenomenal commitment to Formula One. I look forward to much success together in the years ahead.”

Brawn added: “I am delighted to welcome Paddy to the team and to begin working together. He has an excellent record of success in the sport and would be an asset to any of our rivals in the pit lane. It is no secret that every team is facing a significant balancing act between this year and next. But it is perhaps less obvious that we will also see major changes for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, as development progresses with the new generation of car design and Power Unit.

“To deliver in these circumstances, a successful team needs strength in depth. Paddy’s arrival will further strengthen our organisation and puts us in a strong position for the future.”

At least Massa had a Pole position in Warsaw today

Felipe Massa conducted a spectacular demo with a Ferrari F60 on the streets of Warsaw today, running 20 laps of a makeshift track.

The Brazilian also took the time to sum up Ferrari’s season so far, stressing that qualifying still needs to be improve.

“Overall, it’s been a positive start,” he said. “In some races we did very well, while in others, Bahrain for example, we had a few problems which cost us valuable points. We have seen an all-round improvement this year, from the car to the way the team works and we have shown we are competitive, but clearly we can still improve, especially in qualifying. We are well aware of this and working towards that goal.”

Regarding the next race he said: “I like the Monaco track a lot, partly because it’s my second home race, given I live there. You are always on the limit, very close to the barriers, with no room for error. Grid position is much more important than at any other track and so we hope we can do well right from Saturday. My aim is very simple, to always be in the fight for a podium finish.”

Not surprisingly Romain Grosjean is looking forward to Monaco, and as a French driver in a potentially race-winning car, he’s bound to be a focus of much attention.

A strong weekend in the principality last year saw the Lotus driver qualify fifth and start fourth – only for him to be eliminated in a first lap incident.

“It’s going to be fantastic to be racing there again,” he said in a team preview. “It’s like a home race to me and it’s a circuit I really love. We were quick there last year, so I hope we’re quick again. It’s a crazy week with all the focus and attention, but everyone loves Monaco. I’ve got a week to get some rest before it all starts. I can’t wait.

“Monaco is a very special event in its own right, and the atmosphere is quite crazy! As a driver you have to stay calm and relaxed and try to do your job. It is a track that doesn’t allow any mistakes. You have to respect it and that is the key there. For me it’s fantastic for there to be so many French fans, and I’m looking forward to their support.”

Regarding the E21’s potential he added: “Well this is what we will discover. Monaco is quite a specialist track and it is very difficult to say if a car will be suited to it or not. It’s bumpy on the straights and it’s a very low grip surface. All these things mean that you never know what to expect.

“On a more normal racetrack you know more what you are going to get. I hope we will have a pleasant surprise and that the car will suit Monaco’s unique challenges. That would be nice.

“I have to be honest and say I want to be on the podium again. I experienced it for the first time last season, and it felt just as good this year too. A podium result in Monaco would be amazing.”

Trintignant, Beltoise, Depailler, Panis – Monaco has thrown up some oddball French winners over the years, so perhaps Romain is worth a bet…

Even his James Hunt helmet didn’t bring Kimi much luck last year. Photo: AC

Kimi Raikkonen is determined to have a better weekend than in Monaco than he enjoyed last year, when he lost practice time after changing the steering and struggled to get up to speed.

Monaco is also the last weekend with the current tyres, which have proved favourable to Lotus.

“Well, we’re not in first place so we can’t be too happy,” he said of his season so far. “For sure it’s not a nightmare, but we’ve still got a lot of races yet to come and anything can happen in Formula 1. Monaco’s a different challenge, so we’ll have to see what happens there this year.

“We certainly won’t make the mistakes we made last time. There were a few things we didn’t do right over the weekend and we suffered because of that. Sometimes that’s the way it goes, but the important thing is not to make the same mistakes again.

“It’s such a narrow, twisty track; you have to be extra sharp and focused through every single metre. It gives such a good feeling; a fast lap around Monaco. Overtaking is almost impossible, so to really enjoy racing there you have to be in the front.”

Inevitably Kimi says that qualifying is the key.

“We have to focus on qualifying. It’s a difficult place to race as it’s so narrow and – as I said before – passing is  nearly impossible. I was stuck behind Rubens [Barrichello] in 2009 and we had KERS then, but you just couldn’t get past.

“We’ll have to see how the tyres perform and if there are any good strategies to be made, but the most important thing is to qualify well. It’s difficult to know how good the car will be in Monaco as you can’t simulate its characteristics; certainly not at any of the circuits we’ve visited so far this year anyway. We can say the E21’s been fast everywhere else so let’s hope it’s also fast there.

“We’ll do the best we can, but of course everyone will be trying to be on the front row. It’s not impossible for us, but we won’t know how good we are until we get there. We know that tyre changes have to be made so there are opportunities if you run a different strategy to your rivals, but it’s certainly more difficult here than anywhere else.”

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier has expressed his inevitable disappointment at Pirelli’s decision to change its tyres for the Canadian GP.

Boullier is adamant that his team has simply done a better job than others of adapting to the tyres as supplied for the opening races of the seasons.

“There aren’t many sports where there are such fundamental changes to an essential ingredient part-way through a season,” said Boullier today. “Just imagine for a moment that, because a football team can’t run as fast as its opponent, the dimensions of the pitch are changed at half time! That there are changes to come can be seen as somewhat frustrating, and I hope they are not too extreme.

“It’s clear that Pirelli have found themselves in a difficult situation and under pressure from different quarters. Last year, when we were designing our 2013 car, each team received information from Pirelli and everyone did the best job they could to develop a chassis which would make best use of the tyre characteristics. We even ran with some experimental 2013 tyres at the end of last season, to assist us in confirming our development paths.

“As with every season, some teams do a better job than others with their designs, and some drivers are more adaptable than others to the changes of both car and tyre. It is frustrating when you’ve developed a car from a set of tyre specifications which are available to everyone – for tyres that are the same for everyone – to then be told that they are being changed mid-season.

“That said, we have a team of talented designers and engineers who will be working twice as hard to ensure we adapt to these changes in the most competitive manner.”

Meanwhile regarding the suspension failure that stopped Romain Grosjean in Spain he said: “It was frustrating for Romain and frustrating for the whole team. A Formula 1 car is made of so many components, and despite all the checks every once in a while a failure happens. Our technical team has taken immediate action, identified where the problem was and redesigned a new part for Monaco onwards.”

Lotus F1 co-owner Gerard Lopez says he was encouraged by the team’s form in Spain, although he concedes that the Ferrari is currently the strongest car on the grid.

Although Raikkonen earned his fourth podium of the season in Barcelona ultimately there was some frustration that the Finn wasn’t able to challenge Fernando Alonso for victory, having lost valuable time early on. Meanwhile Romain Grosjean had a suspension failure.

“We thought there was a way to win it,” Lopez told this writer. “We lost the race right at the beginning when Fernando and Vettel were able to jump Hamilton and we got stuck a couple of times in traffic. That’s where we lost the race, and other than that, it was very good. The car is super consistent, and it was fast on both tyres.

“I was disappointed that Romain was out of the points, that was a big loss. It’s going to happen to everybody. Romain has a little bit of a lack of luck, and the times when he is lucky he needs to get maximum points. Things are going to come back to him.

“I was a bit surprised by the Red Bulls. Spain was an important race, everybody’s going to throw what they have at the car. I think Mercedes we expected to be fast on one lap. The Ferrari is probably the strongest car right now. Red Bull maybe a little bit below where we expected them, and I guess we were where we are.”

Regarding the next race in Monaco he said: “Everybody goes there hopeful, because you really don’t know what you need to win there or not. We’ll know after the first day of practice…”

Honda and McLaren announced their reunion at a press conference in Tokyo this morning. Here’s what was said, with Martin Whitmarsh appearing at 5m40s. Enjoy…

For Honda one of the bonuses of its reunion with McLaren is the presence of Jenson Button, who drove for the company in its previous incarnations with BAR and latterly under the Honda name.

Honda always had a lot of time for Jenson, and the thought of leaving him high and dry at the end of 2008 was one of the key reasons why the former works team was allowed to morph into Brawn GP.

He has become even more high profile (and popular) in Japan in recent years thanks to girlfriend Jessica Michibata. He spends a lot of time in the country, and even has a base just a few minutes away from Honda’s Tokyo head office.

It’s clearly important for Honda to have a driver who can make an impact in Japan, and while no one could rcreate the excitement that surrounded Ayrton Senna, Button will provide a huge PR boost at home.

“I know exactly how passionate Honda is about motorsport, and Formula 1 in particular,” said Button in the official statement. “The challenge set by Formula 1’s new technical regulations provides Honda with the perfect opportunity to return to the pinnacle of motorsport.

“Honda is one of the most experienced and accomplished builders of turbocharged engines anywhere in the world, has always treated Formula 1 as a platform for world-beating technical innovation, and will surely relish the opportunity once again to showcase on a global sporting stage its engine technicians’ unparalleled engineering prowess.

“Equally, I grew up watching McLaren-Honda Formula 1 cars racing and winning around the world – they wrote their own glorious chapter of Formula 1 history, in fact. Even now, picturing those unmistakable red-and-white cars evokes vivid memories of some of the most dramatic and exciting motor racing the world has ever seen.

“McLaren-Honda: I know how much passion, success and pride are encapsulated within just those two words. And that’s why I’m so thrilled and excited about what’s not only a fantastic opportunity for the team, but also a great development for Formula 1 fans and the sport as a whole.”

Honda says that advanced technologies of the new turbo era were central to the decision to return to F1 in 2015.

Company president Takanobu Ito also said that the ‘green’ environmental aspect of the new rules also appealed.

Intriguingly Ito was also keen to praise Bernie Ecclestone at a time when the F1 boss is still expressing his opposition to the turbo era.

“Ever since its establishment, Honda has been a company which grows by taking on challenges in racing,” said Ito. “Honda has a long history of advancing our technologies and nurturing our people by participating in the world’s most prestigious automobile racing series.

“The new F1 regulations with their significant environmental focus will inspire even greater development of our own advanced technologies and this is central to our participation in F1.

“We have the greatest respect for the FIA’s decision to introduce these new regulations that are both highly challenging but also attractive to manufacturers that pursue environmental technologies and to Formula One Group, which has developed F1 into a high value, top car racing category supported by enthusiastic fans.

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr Jean Todt, the President of FIA and to Mr Bernie Ecclestone, the CEO of Formula One Group who showed great understanding and cooperation to help realize our participation in F1 racing.

“The corporate slogan of Honda is “The Power of Dreams”. This slogan represents our strong desire to pursue and realise our dreams together with our customers and fans.

“Together with McLaren, one of the most distinguished F1 constructors, Honda will mark a new beginning in our challenges in F1.”

As predicted here yesterday McLaren has confirmed that it has formed “a new multi-year Formula 1 technology partnership with Honda.”

McLaren will use Honda engines from 2015, after a single season with the Mercedes turbo.

“It’s fantastic news for everyone who loves Formula 1 to be able to welcome Honda back to Formula 1,” said Martin Whitmarsh. “Together, we’re about to embark on a new and extremely exciting chapter in McLaren’s history.

“Like McLaren, Honda is a company with motor racing woven into the fabric of its heritage. We’re proud and thrilled to be joining forces once more to take on the world in Formula 1.

“Whilst both companies are fully aware that we’re embarking on a very demanding journey together, we’re hugely committed to the success of the partnership, and we’ll spend the next 18 months working together to ensure that we’re fully established and competitive ahead of our first grand prix together in 2015.

“The names of McLaren and Honda are synonymous with success in Formula 1, and, for everyone who works for both companies, the weight of our past achievements together lies heavily on our shoulders. But it’s a mark of the ambition and resolve we both share that we want once again to take McLaren-Honda to the very pinnacle of Formula 1 success. Together we have a great legacy – and we’re utterly committed to maintaining it.

“Honda has built a reputation as a worldwide engineering giant, but its roots, its specialism and its passion lie in the advancement of the internal combustion engine. Throughout its history, Honda has pioneered engine technology in road cars, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. Indeed, its experience as a manufacturer of turbocharged engines is unequalled by any other car manufacturer currently competing in Formula 1.

“McLaren and Honda share an unswerving commitment to high-technology, to innovation and to performance. Together we’ll form a lasting partnership that will deliver success on the track, backed up by world-leading R&D and engineering intelligence.

“Finally, it’s appropriate to recognise that until the end of 2014 we’ll maintain a full commitment to our existing and long-standing partner, Mercedes-Benz, for which we retain the utmost respect and with whom we intend to continue to work diligently and professionally. McLaren-Mercedes has so far won an incredible 78 grands prix and four world championships. We aim to cap our long-standing partnership with the same ambition and resolve with which we began it: namely, to keep winning.”