Wolff says Lowe is “very visible” because of his high-profile position, but will say little else on the man who will be at Mercedes in a very senior position at the start of next year.
He makes it clear there will be more changes when he admits he is “just trying to help, retaining the good people and maybe not retaining the not-so-good people, at the same time trying to find out who could strengthen the organisation, and who could maybe change his approach, or maybe change his function a little. It is a very fine, delicate thing you have to do”.
Before joining Mercedes, Wolff had already earmarked Lowe as the man to take over the sporting and technical running of Williams. And it is clear Mercedes felt the opportunity of taking on someone so capable and well regarded was too good to miss.
Reading between the lines, a few things become clear.
While the initial intention was for Lowe to take over from Brawn, the situation, emphasis and timeframe have now shifted slightly.
Brawn’s technical restructuring appears to be working. And, unless they are both Oscar-worthy actors, Brawn and Wolff are working well together and with mutual respect.
Brawn is 59 this year and is clearly coming to the end of his career, but wants Mercedes to continue to be successful after he moves on from his current position. A succession plan is part of that process.
He is involved in discussions over how to integrate Lowe and there is no desire to threaten or undermine his position.
There are a number of potential scenarios, with different options concerning the specific role Lowe takes on and how and over what time frame he fades in, all decided with the agreement and involvement of Wolff, Brawn and Lowe.
The huge change to the F1 technical regulations in 2014, with the introduction of 1.6-litre turbo-charged engines and extensive energy recovery, means that the rate of technical development will be huge over the next two or three years. And that means the traditional system of one man taking on all the executive functions of an F1 team is seen by Mercedes as an outmoded arrangement.
As Wolff says: “Ross is ambitious and motivated to win the world championship with Mercedes and I think we are seeing the fruits of this.
“My job is essentially a support function, to give him and his team what they need. As far as the future is concerned, his destiny is in his own hands.”
By the end of this year, that destiny will become clear.
