Adam Cooper F1

Ross Brawn is to leave the Mercedes team on December 31, handing the reins to Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe.

The team said that the following “an extended period of open discussion between the team’s key stakeholder Ross has chosen to hand over the team leadership to Executive Director (Business) Toto Wolff and Executive Director (Technical) Paddy Lowe.”

It remains to be seen whether Brawn has plans to go elsewhere, although rumours persist that he could yet return to Ferrari.

Brawn 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.

“Mercedes-Benz has invested significantly in both the personnel and infrastructure at Brackley and Brixworth. 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 that 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 that 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.”

Niki Lauda said: “First of all and most importantly, we must say thank you to Ross. 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 that 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 that you cannot hold somebody back when they have chosen to move on. Ross has decided that 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.”

Daimler boss Dr Dieter Zetsche added: “Last winter, we restructured the management of our Formula One activities, with the support of Niki Lauda. The first step was to convince Toto Wolff to join us to run our Mercedes-Benz motorsport activities and our Formula One company. The second step was the recruitment of Paddy Lowe 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 that Toto and Paddy will build on Ross’ good work and that 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.”

Luca di Montezemolo has taken a pop at both the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone in an Italian TV interview, which has been excerpted on the Ferrari website.

Never afraid to speak his mind, the Italian marque’s president said that Jean Todt has to make changes in his second term as the head of the FIA.

“Todt will be reconfirmed and I expect strong changes,” he said. “Because for too many years the Federation has always been the same and, as in everything, a change is required. Having said that, a strong sporting authority is always a priority for Ferrari.”

He also had a dig at the FIA with regard to the drive through penalty Massa received in Brazil.

“I think it was disproportionate and unjust, as was Hamilton’s. If Felipe had stayed in fourth place, we would have been second in the Constructors’ championship. Every so often, the gentlemen who come to the races to act as Stewards make decisions that are a bit ridiculous and anachronistic. One needs to be careful that we maintain credibility, for the work of the teams that invest money and for the drivers who risk their lives.”

Montezemolo dismissed the idea that Christian Horner was regarded as a potential successor by Bernie Ecclestone: “As the years go by, he more and more enjoys making jokes and I’m happy he still has the desire to do so…”

He also denied that suggestions that Ferrari doesn’t have political weight.

“This story has been doing the rounds since I worked with Enzo Ferrari in the Seventies. We have reached an agreement with Ecclestone and the FIA and we are the only team with the right of veto: more political weight than that is impossible! We are aware of our strength in Formula 1, which without us, would be completely different. Having said that, it’s true that weight also comes from having a winning car and that was lacking. The rest is all gossip.”

Pastor Maldonado looks set to be confirmed as a Lotus driver in the next couple of days, and a string of other driver announcements can be expected soon as the pieces finally fall into place after weeks of uncertainty.

The Interlagos paddock was a hive of activity as driver managers went from team to team and mixed messages emerged about how things will ultimately unfold.

The key to everything remains Maldonado, who in essence has had to make a straight choice between Lotus and Sauber. His father and manager Nicolas Todt were seen in meetings with both Eric Boullier and Monisha Kaltenborn on Sunday, and both teams told third parties that they believed Maldonado was coming to them. The consensus is that by Sunday evening he had finally opted to go with Lotus – although as we’ve seen in recent weeks, nothing can ever be certain…

The decision has been complicated by the financial situations in both camps. Maldonado’s backers have long favoured Lotus, given the team’s 2013 form, but inevitably there have been concerns that any money would be used to pay back owners Genii, who have made huge loans to the team. If that happened any fresh investment would have little impact on the operating costs in 2014. In effect PVDSA wants its funding ‘ring fenced’ so it is actually used to run Maldonado’s car.

Genii bosses Eric Lux and Gerard Lopez are clearly keen to recoup some of the money they have pumped into the team, and that remains a complication going forward, especially if – as most observers anticipate – the Quantum investment deal finally falls through.

If Maldonado is formally confirmed in the next couple of days then the pieces will fall into place at both Force India and Sauber.

Force India’s position has been complicated by the arrival on the scene of Sergio Perez. Inevitably the funding orchestrated on his behalf by Carlos Slim would be welcome at any team, and the Mexican has also proved his worth on the track in recent weeks. It’s believed that Bernie Ecclestone has also pushed hard for Perez to go to Force India, in part because of an anticipated slot for Mexico on the 2015 calendar.

The team already has contracts with Adrian Sutil and Nico Hulkenberg, making for a potential ‘three into two’ situation. However, Hulkenberg has enjoyed the possibility to not take up the deal, and it’s believed he had to make a final decision by the start of this week.

With Lotus off the radar his Plan B is to stay at Sauber. However, matters are complicated by the fact that his relationship with the team is said to have been damaged by his efforts to go elsewhere – he recently visited Lotus for a seat fitting – and by his comments in the media. Hulkenberg’s manager Werner Heinz confirmed to this writer on Sunday that the choice was still up in the air.

If Force India does end up as Perez/Hulkenberg then Sutil’s clear alternative is Sauber. Indeed some sources suggest that he could in any case opt not to stay at Force India.

Assuming Maldonado isn’t there the identity of Sauber’s other driver could be the last piece of the puzzle to be filled in. Although Esteban Gutierrez has an ongoing contract, his position is far from secure. Sources say that the team has considered cutting its ties with Mexico, despite Gutierrez still having some useful backing.

One interesting rumour that emerged at the weekend involved Jules Bianchi going to Sauber – he does of course share his manager, Todt, with Maldonado. However Bianchi, Todt and the Marussia management all denied that there was any possibility of a change of plans when asked by the writer.

Paul Di Resta’s manager kept tabs on the developing situation in Brazil but the Scot does not have any obvious F1 options at this stage, and looks set to return to the DTM.

Pastor Maldonado’s manager Nicolas Todt says that he expects to have an answer about the Venezuelan’s future soon.

Maldonado has been linked with Lotus for weeks, but he is also in the frame at Sauber, with some paddock sources convinced that the Swiss team is now his most likely destination. However, Todt would not confirm that it’s a straight choice between those teams.

Sources say Sauber will make a final driver choice in the next couple of days.

“We are very confident that we will make the right choice,” he told this writer today. “Obviously it’s always nice to know your future before the end of the season. That’s not the case, but I’m sure a decision will be taken very soon. We have been talking to a few teams, and we’re very close to a decision.

“We take every parameter into account when making such a decision, because it concerns Pastor’s future. It’s a decision we take all together, taking into account everything that goes on.”

Asked about the tricky financial situation at Lotus and Sauber he said: “Nowadays except with a top team, there is always a risk when you sign in a team, because of the economic uncertainties. We never know if the grass is greener outside our place, so there is a risk as we try to take a decision knowing the risks that there are in each team.”

Maldonado has said that he doesn’t know if PDVSA will continue, but Todt played down any talk about sponsorship.

“It’s not always a matter of sponsors. Pastor has been supported by PDVSA for many, many years, because he’s the ambassador of his country, and that’s all. Anyway, whenever the announcement will be made, everything will become very clear. I can’t tell you much more.”

Todt admitted that this year’s silly season has been a difficult one.

“It’s very challenging times. Having a few drivers under management, we have been quite busy lately, but that’s why we are here…”