Mercedes has officially confirmed the departure of its Executive Director Paddy Lowe. Rumors of Lowe’s exit from the team first hit the media at the start of December.
Mercedes confirmed on Tuesday that the 54 year old British engineer has been placed on garden leave. Lowe came to the Mercedes team three and half years ago and has been instrumental to the recent success of the team. His contract expired on December 31 of 2016.
“Paddy has played an important part in our success during the past three and a half years and we thank him for his contribution to this significant chapter in Mercedes’ motorsport history,” said Toto Wolff.
Lowe has been touted a potential replacement for the newly retired Pat Symonds at Williams. It was originally believed that Symonds would remain in his position as Chief Technical Officer until the end of the 2017 season, which would allow for a transition period for the employee which would take over the position. However, Symonds confirmed his retirement near the end of December and was removed from the company payroll on December 31.
With the vacant spot in the Williams team, Lowe is likely to be contracted by the team. Williams was the first Formula One team that Lowe had worked for when he started his career in 1987. He worked in the role as Joint Head of Electronics back then.
Although a deal is likely, it is believed that a contract agreement has not yet been reached and that the discussions between Williams and Lowe are still ongoing. “I am now looking forward to a new challenge and wish everyone well at Mercedes,” said Paddy Lowe.
Mercedes is still without a driver for the 2017 season, although Valtteri Bottas is almost certainly in line for the seat, and they will now need to search for a new Executive Director. Until the position is filled, the team will continue to be run by the team’s senior directors Aldo Costa, Mark Ellis, Rob Thomas and Geoff Willis.
“Success in Formula One is not about single individuals but about the strength in depth and technical capability of an organization,” explained Toto Wolff, the Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. “We have the talent in place to continue our success of recent years and we plan to build upon it in 2017 and beyond.”
It is strongly believed that James Allison will be making a return to the sport to take over Paddy Lowe’s former role on Mercedes. Allison left Ferrari in July, rumored to be the result of an argument with the Ferrari president, Sergio Marchionne. Allison was Technical Director of Ferrari.
Pat Symonds Is Leaving Williams
Lowe Could Be Next To Leave Mercedes
