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23rd
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Adapted from GMM
Toto Wolff says he hopes Ross Brawn will stay at Mercedes, meanwhile the situation at Williams remains unclear.
With Wolff buying 30 per cent of the German team and becoming executive director, it is strongly rumoured that he has wooed McLaren's Paddy Lowe to join him.
That would appear a direct undermining of team principal and technical expert Brawn's position, with Daily Express journalist Bob McKenzie reporting that the 58-year-old is therefore "close to quitting".
Toto Wolff said: "It's all speculation. Ross is here as part of the leading team and I hope he is going to stay."
Pressed, he added: "I have had conversations with Ross and I admire what Ross has done but I need to understand the structure."
McLaren has declined to comment, but if he does leave, 51-year-old Lowe would almost certainly have to serve some 'gardening leave'. Like Brawn, the position of Mercedes' Nick Fry is reportedly also in serious doubt.
Toto Wolff insisted: "There are many intelligent people there (at Brackley) and I'd like to meet them, speak to them and analyse and then make my conclusions. There is an organisation in place and I'd like to work with it."
Williams
As Toto Wolff gets down to work at Mercedes, the situation at Williams remains unclear.
When the Austrian's team switch was announced, Williams made clear that Wolff "will retain his shareholding". It is believed the 41-year-old's Williams stake is worth up to EUR 40 million.
Sources have said Wolff owning shares in competing F1 teams - he has bought 30 per cent of Brackley based Mercedes - is legitimate, but it remains to be seen if the situation will change.
"For the moment I'm going to keep those (Williams) shares," he said on Tuesday. "I have a responsibility as a shareholder. I can't let everybody else down. I'm going to look at the situation in the next couple of weeks or months. I am working 100 per cent for Mercedes, as a director of Mercedes and trying to be successful with Mercedes. But I've had a long interest in Williams and you can't kill an emotion just by resigning from a directorship."
It is rumoured there could be a silver lining for Williams, with suggestions Wolff's new Mercedes link could deliver a change of customer engine supplier for the currently Renault-powered Grove team.
"No discussions have been held," Wolff said.
DTM
As for Wolff's new role, he said he will be mainly devoted to F1, attending all the grands prix and the major events on the DTM calendar.
Among his first duties will be keeping tabs on injured F1 driver Robert Kubica's test this week in a Mercedes DTM car.
But Toto Wolff played down the prospect of a return to formula one for the Pole in the short term, "If the DTM test goes well and we see that he is doing well in a proper race car with downforce, I think there are still some physical constraints to drive a monocoque chassis with his elbow and arm. I think we all would love to see Robert doing well in a formula one car in the future but that is definitely too early at this stage."
Toto Wolff says he hopes Ross Brawn will stay at Mercedes, meanwhile the situation at Williams remains unclear.
With Wolff buying 30 per cent of the German team and becoming executive director, it is strongly rumoured that he has wooed McLaren's Paddy Lowe to join him.
That would appear a direct undermining of team principal and technical expert Brawn's position, with Daily Express journalist Bob McKenzie reporting that the 58-year-old is therefore "close to quitting".
 |
| Rumor? Could Paddy Lowe quit McLaren for Mercedes? (Photo: McLaren) |
Toto Wolff said: "It's all speculation. Ross is here as part of the leading team and I hope he is going to stay."
Pressed, he added: "I have had conversations with Ross and I admire what Ross has done but I need to understand the structure."
McLaren has declined to comment, but if he does leave, 51-year-old Lowe would almost certainly have to serve some 'gardening leave'. Like Brawn, the position of Mercedes' Nick Fry is reportedly also in serious doubt.
Toto Wolff insisted: "There are many intelligent people there (at Brackley) and I'd like to meet them, speak to them and analyse and then make my conclusions. There is an organisation in place and I'd like to work with it."
Williams
As Toto Wolff gets down to work at Mercedes, the situation at Williams remains unclear.
When the Austrian's team switch was announced, Williams made clear that Wolff "will retain his shareholding". It is believed the 41-year-old's Williams stake is worth up to EUR 40 million.
Sources have said Wolff owning shares in competing F1 teams - he has bought 30 per cent of Brackley based Mercedes - is legitimate, but it remains to be seen if the situation will change.
"For the moment I'm going to keep those (Williams) shares," he said on Tuesday. "I have a responsibility as a shareholder. I can't let everybody else down. I'm going to look at the situation in the next couple of weeks or months. I am working 100 per cent for Mercedes, as a director of Mercedes and trying to be successful with Mercedes. But I've had a long interest in Williams and you can't kill an emotion just by resigning from a directorship."
 |
| Manager of Valtteri Bottas, shareholder at Williams and Mercedes, Executive Director at Mercedes, Toto Wolff accumulates the responsibilities. (Photo: WRi2) |
It is rumoured there could be a silver lining for Williams, with suggestions Wolff's new Mercedes link could deliver a change of customer engine supplier for the currently Renault-powered Grove team.
"No discussions have been held," Wolff said.
DTM
As for Wolff's new role, he said he will be mainly devoted to F1, attending all the grands prix and the major events on the DTM calendar.
Among his first duties will be keeping tabs on injured F1 driver Robert Kubica's test this week in a Mercedes DTM car.
But Toto Wolff played down the prospect of a return to formula one for the Pole in the short term, "If the DTM test goes well and we see that he is doing well in a proper race car with downforce, I think there are still some physical constraints to drive a monocoque chassis with his elbow and arm. I think we all would love to see Robert doing well in a formula one car in the future but that is definitely too early at this stage."