Liberty Media has big plans for Formula One, but its interest is apparently not strictly limited to its commercial success. The sport’s new owners are also keen to get the series running better from the sporting side of things. And word has it that to get there, it has enlisted the services of one Ross Brawn.
Lauded as one of the leading strategists in the modern history of grand prix racing, Brawn held senior posts at Benetton-Renault, Ferrari, Honda, and Mercedes. Wherever Michael Schumacher was winning races and titles, Brawn was behind the scenes, calling the shots.
After Schumi’s first retirement, Brawn was picked up by Honda. But after the Japanese automaker withdrew from the series the next year, Brawn lead a management buyout, secured an engine deal with Mercedes, and directed the team straight to the world championship. He then sold the team to Mercedes, lured Schumacher back out of retirement, then backed out of the spotlight.
Brawn has been enjoying retirement ever since, and despite persistent rumors, has been reluctant to get jump back into any team’s saddle. Based on circulating rumors, however, Autocar reports that his new role would have him determining how the series runs, fine-tuning and implementing its regulations.
It’s a hugely important aspect of racing at which many believe the powers-that-be have been failing, with a frequent switches between qualifying formats, downsized turbo hybrid engines that don’t sound quite right, and constant bickering and penalties over minor issues. And Brawn gets our endorsement to fix it all.
Just what that might mean for the series’ longtime commercial director Bernie Ecclestone and race director Charlie Whiting remains to be seen. But Brawn worked closely with FIA president Jean Todt for years at Ferrari, producing one of the most dominant winning streaks in the history of the sport. If they can work as well together for the good of the series as they did for the good of the team, we could be looking at the dawn of a new era for F1.
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