Ross Brawn interview: Former F1 supremo reveals all on his Mercedes exit and his future
ROSS BRAWN has shed some light on his acrimonious departure from Mercedes and refused to rule out a return to Formula One in the future.
The 61-year-old boasts a staggering record of 24 drivers’ and constructors’ titles within motorsport across four decades, but was forced out of Mercedes in 2013.
Brawn revealed the motivation behind his recently-released book Total Competition was to address his failures in the sport, rather than his successes.
Speaking exclusively to Express Sport, Brawn said: “My departure from Mercedes was as much my responsibility as it was anyone else’s.
“Writing the book gave me a new perspective on my situation. It made me clarify my thoughts on the reasons things had worked well and not so well.
“I wasn’t forced into that situation and a large part of it was my own making, so [this project] was quite a cathartic process if I’m honest.
“I think sometimes the failures are more interesting than the successes, and I hope it doesn’t come across as just ‘it wasn’t my fault and everyone else was to blame.’”
Brawn left the Brackley-based team after a breakdown of trust between himself and senior management, partly based around the signing of former McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe.
The ex-Brawn GP boss discusses his relationship with Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff and non-executive chairman Niki Lauda, and claims he “never really knew what they were trying to do”.
The former Benetton and Ferrari mastermind laid the groundwork for Mercedes’ current domination, and was vital in persuading Lewis Hamilton to move from McLaren.
Brawn said: “It was a fairly gentle process. Lewis had been with McLaren for a long time and we got the impression that he might be receptive to moving.
“It was up to me to give him an insight into where we were with the team, why we hadn’t achieved success after Brawn GP and what we would do to correct the situation.
“I am very pleased that we were able to persuade him that Mercedes was the place to be, and I don’t think he has ever regretted his decision.
“Probably one of my biggest regrets upon leaving the team was that after having persuaded Lewis to join, I wasn’t able to enjoy more time with him.”
Brawn has been an interested observer since exiting motorsport in 2013, but has been working with prospective new owners Liberty Media in an advisory role.
When questioned on whether he is set to move into a more full-time position, Brawn said: “Time will tell. It’s not out of the question but it’s not something which is definitely happening.
“The picture will become clearer in the next three to six months, then we can see what happens.
“I’m okay with what I’m doing with Liberty Media at the moment, which is pretty low-key, but I don’t know what will happen in the future. We’ll have to wait and see.”
With the American group looking to complete a takeover of the sport in the near future, Brawn has not ruled out working with Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, despite their past differences.
“Formula One is Bernie’s kingdom,” said Brawn. “Anyone in the sport is going to rub up against him at some stage.
“Bernie is the main architect of where Formula One is today. He realised the importance of television and built it into a global sport.
“But equally he sold it, and like me selling my shares in Mercedes, he has to accept that someone else has to take over.
“Bernie is not immortal, so at some stage he is going to hand over the baton. When that happens and how that happens, I’ve got no idea.”
Total Competition by Ross Brawn & Adam Parr, Published by Simon & Schuster. Hardback, £20.00.