As he retires from his F1 MD position, Ross Brawn dismisses hypothesis linking him with a return to Ferrari.
Abu Dhabi marked Ross Brawn’s final race as F1’s Managing Director of Motorsports, however even because the Briton joined his colleagues on the grid for the nationwide anthem there have been rumours doing the rounds that he is likely to be making a sensational return to Ferrari.
With Ferrari as soon as once more managing to grab defeat from the jaws of victory there was hypothesis over Mattia Binotto’s future, a lot in order that the Italian was pressured to name on chairman John Elkann to subject a press release denying studies within the Italian media forward of the season finale.
Nonetheless, final week the hypothesis intensified, with plenty of main Italian publications claiming that Binotto was leaving the corporate virtually with quick impact.
Although Alfa Romeo boss, Frederick Vasseur, was initially linked with the position, in some circles Ross Brawn – an integral a part of the ‘dream workforce’ that led Ferrari to quite a few titles within the early 2000s – was seen as favorite.
In his farewell briefing for the official F1 web site nevertheless, Brawn has dismissed the hypothesis, insisting that his work in F1 is completed and that in future he’ll merely watch the game from the consolation of his couch.
“I’ve liked all the things I’ve accomplished in the previous few years,” he writes. “I would moved away from eager to be a part of a workforce, I made a decision I would accomplished sufficient of that! And this was the one factor that might have probably appealed. I have been very lucky to have been given the chance by Liberty and it was a labour of affection.
“Now’s the appropriate time for me to retire,” he provides. “We’ve got accomplished the majority of the work, and we’re in a consolidation interval now. There is a new automotive coming in 2026, however that is 4 years away, fairly distant for me, so it is higher the subsequent group of individuals tackle that mantle.
“I consider I am leaving F1 in an ideal place,” he insists, although many long-standing followers may disagree.
“I’ve liked virtually each minute of my 46-year profession and I have been lucky to have labored with many nice groups, nice drivers and nice individuals. I would not have modified a factor. One certainty is that with out my spouse and household assist I could not have accomplished it and I would not have needed to do it.
“I’ll now watch F1 from my couch, cheering and cursing as an F1 fan, happy that the game is in a incredible place and has such a incredible future.”
The Briton, who, apart from Ferrari, loved title successful success with Benetton and his personal workforce, earlier than happening to put the foundations at Mercedes, believes that beneath Liberty Media the game has made nice progress.
“I am happy with the place we have got to,” he writes.” I feel there’s been actual change within the final six years since I joined the administration workforce, and I really feel pleased about that. F1 as we speak is as robust because it’s ever been.
“Liberty knew concerning the economics of F1, however they did not know a lot about F1 as a sport and that facet of the enterprise once they first grew to become concerned. They have been good sufficient to place Chase Carey in cost. Regardless of not being an skilled F1 veteran, he grasped the enterprise and the game shortly.
“I used to be approached by Liberty as somebody with F1 expertise, one thing they wanted to start with. I used to be , however provided that we may deal with the event of the game from a special perspective – how can we enhance the racing? I feel we’ve succeeded. We have constructed an ideal workforce and I am actually happy with what we’ve achieved. We have set F1 on a brand new path.
“The associated fee cap has created an surroundings the place you will have a restricted spend and the neatest individuals win. The margins from the entrance to the again are going to be a lot tighter. I feel the associated fee cap is a really vital step for F1. It is bought bugs to iron out however contemplating the complexity of introducing such a system, it is incredible what the workforce at F1 and the FIA have achieved because it was launched final yr.
“The governance system has been improved,” he provides. “We now have rather more flexibility and do not want all of the groups to agree for the game to make modifications and go ahead. So long as we get eight groups to agree, we are able to get issues accomplished within the quick time period.
“With 5 groups and the FIA and F1, we are able to get issues accomplished in the long run. We do not have the constraint of the outdated governance system and there are actually numerous issues we have moved in the appropriate course which has made this sport operate so significantly better than it did earlier than.
“On the sporting rules, we have had an open thoughts about how we must always develop the race weekend format.
“There are already a whole lot of good issues in F1. I occur to suppose the present qualifying spec is fairly good. Three-stage qualifying retains individuals engaged for the entire time. It is thrilling and it often throws up a number of variables.
“The Dash was an initiative which appears to have labored. We’re increasing to 6 Sprints subsequent yr. I do not know what would be the optimum quantity we’ll settle at long run. Some argue we must always have it at each race. We’ll see if that’s the way it evolves. The Dash has definitely livened up the entire weekend and provides us a full three days of motion.
“The technical rules have been a giant change,” he admits. “We got here on the rules with a recent view. The precedence was constructing a greater racing automotive as a result of that has by no means been a precedence previously, which was certainly one of my frustrations.
“Up to now, the groups have been allowed to develop the automotive rules. The FIA’s precedence was security, ensuring the velocity of the vehicles was at all times inside an affordable vary. They by no means had the useful resource to take a look at the way you design a racing automotive – it was left to the groups to try this work. With the very best will on the earth, the groups will not have raceability as a precedence.
We created a gaggle whose precedence was to construct a greater racing automotive, that may race one other automotive in shut proximity, is constant to drive, and would not have bits fall off if there are touches.
“The mind-set got here from a special course: raceability, and that would be the precedence sooner or later – it is one of many modifications to the mind-set of F1 that I am actually happy about.
“It was an enormous thrill for me after I noticed the 2022 vehicles first race and we skilled two or three vehicles racing alongside one another – we hadn’t typically seen that earlier than. Now you possibly can run onerous behind one other automotive for a number of laps with out points.”
Reality is, the rules overhaul wasn’t the nice success Brawn and his buddies would have us consider. Certain, vehicles can now comply with extra carefully, however the remaining transfer, the overtake, nonetheless, within the majority of circumstances, requires DRS, a gimmick that within the outdated days Brawn would have abhorred.
Nonetheless, for now it is well-liked with the Drive to Survive technology, so Ross can head to his couch feeling it is a job properly accomplished.
