London: Mercedes have signed new deals with their executive director of motorsport, Toto Wolff, and the team’s non-executive chairman, Niki Lauda, to retain them until 2020, confirming the stability of the team up until the end of the manufacturer’s current commitment to Formula One, which runs until 2020 — when the current commercial arrangement with Formula One Management concludes. The team will launch its new car for the 2017 season on Thursday at Silverstone and retaining the long-standing presence of Wolff and Lauda at the top of the organisation as it faces a new formula this season and readjusts after the departures of Nico Rosberg and Paddy Lowe over the winter, will help ease the transition.
The former three-times world champion Lauda, who owns a 10 per cent share in the team, joined Mercedes at the end of 2012 and was joined just before the opening of the 2013 season by Wolff, who owns a 30 per cent stake, after the departure of Ross Brawn. They have since overseen a remarkable period of dominance with the marque winning all three drivers’ and constructors’ championships since 2014, with Lewis Hamilton taking two of the former. “The last few years have been some of the most enjoyable I have had in Formula One,” said Lauda. “Toto and I formed a perfect partnership at Mercedes and we have a great team on every level that has delivered results. I must thank Dieter [Zetsche, chairman and CEO of Daimler AG — the team’s majority shareholder] and the other members of the board of Daimler for renewing their confidence in us.” Rosberg, who won the championship last year and then promptly retired has been replaced by Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, while Lowe who is set to join Williams for 2017 has been replaced by the former Ferrari technical director James Allison, with Zetsche acknowledging the importance of Wolff and Lauda in maintaining the smooth running of the team as it adapts. “In 2013, we restructured the management of the team with the clear goal of improving our performance,” he said. “Since then, however, the results have exceeded our expectations. A key factor in this success has been the combination of Toto’s entrepreneurial skills and Niki’s experience. Their renewed commitment gives our programme important continuity for the next four years.” Wolff, who has been at the head of the team throughout their success and is effectively the team principal, was insistent it had been a collective effort that he was happy to continue. “Winning is never down to single individuals,” he said. “It is about the right group of people coming together, aligning themselves with a common objective and then combining their talents to achieve that target. Each day I come to the factory, I am humbled to have the privilege of representing this inspiring group of people.”
