By Adam Tate, Associate Editor
Ross Brawn, the legendary former team principal and technical director who oversaw massive success at Benetton, Ferrari, Brawn, and Mercedes is set to return to the Formula One paddock in 2017. But it won’t be in the familiar role of working with a team, instead he will take up the role of Sporting Director.
The news, broken by esteemed journalist James Allen is very interesting; Brawn will not replace Bernie Ecclestone, nor have any dealings with the commercial aspect of the sport. He will mainly act as a bridge between the teams and the FIA in order to guide the sport in the right technical and sporting direction as Liberty Media begins its takeover.
If such a move has been decided by Liberty, it is genius. Brawn is one of the most respected, admired, and knowledgeable individuals in the wider Motorsport world. His success in the sport; 9 Constructor’s Championships, along with 8 Drivers’ Championships, including the double title win for his eponymous Brawn GP in 2009, is unparalleled.
Brawn is releasing a new book this week; Total Competition, which he co-authored with former Williams CEO Adam Parr. While at a press gathering for the new book he gave The Daily Telegraph a very interesting statement which seems to give some insight into his coming role.
“Trying to help F1 become a better F1 would be appealing. It would be the one thing that could be interesting. If you ask me what F1 needs, it needs a plan; a three-year and a five-year plan. My view is we haven’t got the ideal structure for creating that plan and implementing it over time.”
