Ross Brawn announces retirement

[ferrari1.8t]

Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/mclaren/10611909/Ross-Brawn-announces-retirement-from-Formula-One-to-end-speculation-linking-him-with-McLaren.html

Ross Brawn today ended months of speculation over his future by confirming his retirement from Formula One.

Brawn, 59, has been heavily linked with a move to McLaren following the return of Ron Dennis to the team, but in a shock announcement to a fishing event in Aberdeenshire, he said he would not be returning to the sport. "What they didn't realise when I was invited here was they had a scoop because the world's press was trying to find out if I was retiring or not," Brawn said.
"This is the busiest time of the year for Formula One and I said I would come along and open the River Dee. "If they had put two and two together they would have realised I was definitely retiring."

Brawn, the mastermind of Michael Schumacher’s titles with Benetton and Ferrari, as well as Jenson Button’s championship triumph with Brawn GP in 2009, left Mercedes at the end of last season for a sabbatical to spend more time fishing.Just a few days ago as he was inducted into Motor Sport magazine’s hall of fame, Brawn said he would “never say never” to a return to the paddock, but away from the glare of Formula One, which has been in Jerez for pre-season testing this week, he confirmed his sabbatical would be permanent.
"I'm retiring - it's not tongue in cheek," Brawn said."I'm going to take a year to enjoy the fishing and then see what life brings. I'm looking forward to it but I've got no other plans.
"It's a fantastic honour to do the ceremonial opening of the River Dee. It's a river I've never had a chance to fish before because it is predominantly known as a spring river and in the spring I'm normally trying to sort out a Formula One car in Spain. "So February, March and April are never good months for me to go fishing - but this year is different having stopped.”
Since leaving Mercedes at the end of the 2013 season, Brawn was first linked with a move to Honda, who will return to Formula One as an engine supplier in 2015, and then with McLaren after Martin Whitmarsh was ousted as team principal. Dennis has created the role of CEO of McLaren Racing, for which Brawn appeared to be a perfect fit, after Eric Boullier was appointed as the team’s Racing Director. But this morning’s announcement should put an end to the feverish speculation surrounding the 59-year-old’s future. Brawn, who has won 16 titles in Formula One, eight drivers’ and eight constructors’, has been involved in motorsport since the 1970s, when he joined Williams as a mechanic. He became technical director of Benetton in the early 1990s, where he won a reputation as a master strategist on his way to winning the title with Schumacher in 1994 and 1995. He went on to win six consecutive titles with Ferrari, before winning with his own team, Brawn GP, after Honda pulled out of the sport at the end of 2008.

[Ste]

He'll be back... ;)

[Rishu]

Wouldn't mind him returning to Maranello

[SinanOzerS]

The Legend.

[shamim179]

Sounds like he's taking a year out? Can't see him retiring for good yet.

[Nero Horse]

Yes, rest for a year Ross, and then come back to Maranello refreshed and head full of new exciting ideas. ;-)

[Jacquesvw]

I would like to go fishing with him...

[wisepie]

Surely in the future he could be far better employed sorting out the FIA and really trying to save F1 from itself, especially on costs and regulations. He deserves a rest, though, and I'm grateful for his part in our renaissance. It would be a shame to lose his wisdom from the sport altogether.

[Suzie]

He deserves to go off fishing and enjoy the rest of his life while he's in good health.
Having said that I don't believe for one second he won't be back with another team or the FIA at some point.

[SilverSpeed]

Like we have heard this before...

[mirafiori]

Well i am glad he has retired for me he is a liar and a cheat. He is in the circle of friends with Bernie and Charlie that is why he got away with the seceret cheating tyre test last year.

[ManFromMilan]

Well i am glad he has retired for me he is a liar and a cheat. He is in the circle of friends with Bernie and Charlie that is why he got away with the seceret cheating tyre test last year.




Whoa there friend. He is playing the game, the game the FIA is payed millions every year to keep legal and above board, but what is in the end a total farce in so many respects.

I am sure that when he finds a team that will allow him to do what he does best he would be back again.

I am not so sure anymore that it would be at Ferrari, but i can still hope.

[SS454]

Id have liked to see him play a role at Ferrari again but he said he only wanted to run the whole deal. Honestly I think he'd do just fine at the job.

[brembo man]

Well i am glad he has retired for me he is a liar and a cheat. He is in the circle of friends with Bernie and Charlie that is why he got away with the seceret cheating tyre test last year.

Very well said. He's probably retiring as to not be formally banned from F1. I'd love to have Rubens interviewed on what he went through under Brawn, not only at Ferrari but at Brawn, when Brawn made sure the likes of Button would come out on top even if Rubens did a few extra pits weather he needed to or not. As you say a liar and a cheat for sure, but he certainly wasn't alone. Briatori is a saint compared to Brawn.

[mirafiori]

Very well said. He's probably retiring as to not be formally banned from F1. I'd love to have Rubens interviewed on what he went through under Brawn, not only at Ferrari but at Brawn, when Brawn made sure the likes of Button would come out on top even if Rubens did a few extra pits weather he needed to or not. As you say a liar and a cheat for sure, but he certainly wasn't alone. Briatori is a saint compared to Brawn.

Now Brawn has gone and with the ageing Bernie and the threat of prison looming his time in Formula one is coming to an end.The next person who needs to go is Charlie, at last weeks test in Jerez he was photographed in the Red Bull garage standing at the rear of the car with Vettel,( OH CHARLIE COME AND HELP US:-! ) as i have said before this is totally unprofessional and this will call into question is there favoritism within the sport of Formula one. Could you imagine Italy playing in the world cup final against England and the Referee for the game Pierluigi Collina is seen having dinner with the Italian team.

[Jacquesvw]

Now Brawn has gone and with the ageing Bernie and the threat of prison looming his time in Formula one is coming to an end.The next person who needs to go is Charlie, at last weeks test in Jerez he was photographed in the Red Bull garage standing at the rear of the car with Vettel,( OH CHARLIE COME AND HELP US:-! ) as i have said before this is totally unprofessional and this will call into question is there favoritism within the sport of Formula one. Could you imagine Italy playing in the world cup final against England and the Referee for the game Pierluigi Collina is seen having dinner with the Italian team.

You have serious paranoia issues. Do you think for one second the other teams will accept any disadvantage over Charlie favoring Red Bull. Wake up man!

[GamD]

Very well said. He's probably retiring as to not be formally banned from F1. I'd love to have Rubens interviewed on what he went through under Brawn, not only at Ferrari but at Brawn, when Brawn made sure the likes of Button would come out on top even if Rubens did a few extra pits weather he needed to or not. As you say a liar and a cheat for sure, but he certainly wasn't alone. Briatori is a saint compared to Brawn.


You need to see somebody over your obsession over people.

[GamD]

Now Brawn has gone and with the ageing Bernie and the threat of prison looming his time in Formula one is coming to an end.The next person who needs to go is Charlie, at last weeks test in Jerez he was photographed in the Red Bull garage standing at the rear of the car with Vettel,( OH CHARLIE COME AND HELP US:-! ) as i have said before this is totally unprofessional and this will call into question is there favoritism within the sport of Formula one. Could you imagine Italy playing in the world cup final against England and the Referee for the game Pierluigi Collina is seen having dinner with the Italian team.

Really?? Charlie having a chat is nothing like a ref having dinner. If Charlie "threw" races as blatant as a ref would "throw" a match I doubt many teams would still be there.

[RedPassion]

Whoa there friend. He is playing the game, the game the FIA is payed millions every year to keep legal and above board, but what is in the end a total farce in so many respects.

I am sure that when he finds a team that will allow him to do what he does best he would be back again.

I am not so sure anymore that it would be at Ferrari, but i can still hope.

With all respect i dont think that Ross would be any good at Ferrari anymore.He is been a great but i think at the moment we have Domenicali(altough ferouciously critised)on the organizanional side,i can criticize him until 2011,but from that point on he is very matured and he was spot on with his decisions even if results dont come so fast, just think about it,everything that Ross achieved in Mercedes was in 2009 when they were BrawnGP,and just because they got an advantage in the first part of the season because of the much discussed DDD(RED BULL,MCLAREN and probably TOYOTA were better cars),then we have Fry and Allison on the technical sides(and honestly guys,you cant even much better than that at the moment),so i think he would just be redundant.I could see him work for the FIA or for a little team like Ascanelli was,but regarding Ferrari i dont think he could do any better that what we have at the moment,he didnt show nothing sensational at Mercedes,F1 is changed and became much more complex than in the 2000s,John Barnard understood it,Gordon Murray understood it and even Byrne know this, because years ago he was The designer of Ferrari ,today he is one of many designers of Ferrari.F1 is very complex today.And finally he is a cheat,and this is absolutely true.If you look at the modern history of F1,when it comes to cheating the same peoples are involved(Brawn,Briatore,Newey,Symond,Coughlan),it has nothing to do with geniality,it has nothing to do with being at the edge,John Barnard was a genious and he never cheated,James Allison is a genious and he never cheated,it is just a question of morality and in the new Ferrari is no place for him.

[brembo man]

You need to see somebody over your obsession over people.

Thanks for the kind advice. Will do. It's just hard to ignore blatant favoritism towards one driver over another in F1 esp. when the driver getting dissed is your favorite. Brawn now will be one less obsession for me in F1. I mentioned it once before that I was shocked that Ross let Nico Rosberg do his thing without being held back, and look at how great the results are for Nico.

[sweeper1101]

Gardening leave maybe...

[mirafiori]

Really?? Charlie having a chat is nothing like a ref having dinner. If Charlie "threw" races as blatant as a ref would "throw" a match I doubt many teams would still be there.

So you think it is OK for Charlie to stand in the Red Bull garage during testing when he holds the position of authority and should be setting standards in all aspects within formula one. Look Red Bull at the moment are in crisis having huge problems with there car its clear for all to see and Charlie knows what the other teams do regarding design layouts of there car, what other teams do to try and combat cooling issues and whatever else, for example Mclaren seem to have advanced rear end of there car, now what is stop Charlie while stood at the rear end of there car in the Red Bull garage a little whisper of what other teams may or may not been doing with there cars. Mclaren rear end was approved by Charlie and Newey is not happy because he says it looks illegal, if i was at Mclaren or any other team and saw Charlie in the Red Bull garage with all there issues Red Bull seem to have at the moment i would not be happy and would be complaining, don't forget what happened last year when Mercedes were struggling with Tyre wear and it was Charlie who approved his friend Brawn and Mercedes could have an illegal Tyre test without telling the other teams FACT, USING THERE CURRENT 2013 CAR AGAIN ILLEGAL, yet Charlie approved all this in an email to Brawn and they all got away with this without any real punishment, Bernie and Hembery are also in this corrupt circle but you can carry on believing all is honest and aboveboard but i will speak out from time to time.

[wisepie]

So Brawn has now become a villain, but I'm sure no more so than any of the big cheeses in F1 currently! It seems to me that they all have their own agenda, most of which probably isn't good for the sport, but does anyone know of another figure to take over from the current powers that be, most of whom are heading for retirement. No easy answer to that one, I fear.:Hmm

[watto2]

I think we should stop all the back stabbing and thank Ross Brawn along with Michael Schumacher for dragging Ferrari out of the doldrums and giving us many years of enjoyment.

Good luck Ross and have a long and happy retirement. :wave

[mirafiori]

I think we should stop all the back stabbing and thank Ross Brawn along with Michael Schumacher for dragging Ferrari out of the doldrums and giving us many years of enjoyment.

Good luck Ross and have a long and happy retirement. :wave

Nobody is back stabbing just telling the truth, for me i thank all personnel who work for Ferrari regardless of the position they hold, from the very top to the guys who clean the floors. If you want me to say thank you to Ross for the contribution he made while he was at Ferrari then of course i appreciate what he has done, but that does not change the fact while he was working for Mercedes he was a cheat and a liar. Enjoy your fishing Ross.:wave

[aroutis]

Fer Christ's sake, a cheat and a liar? Get a grip already..

While Ross was at merc, he was doing HIS JOB, and nothing less. Just like Michael while he was at merc he was doing HIS JOB, nothing less.

And while on it brembo, RB, while he was working with Ross (and co.) he got to get all those victories and places he never got before and after he was at Ferrari, so ya, I 'd like to see him talk about it.

As for Ross himself, I hope to see him back, he's one of the great ones.

[brembo man]

Well after Ferrari he was cursed again while hoping team Brawn would bring him wins, Button became Ross' new favorite. I know you know that for sure. Extra pits for Rubens and so on. All those places and victories like never before at Ferrari sounds more like his teamate. Did you forget about" Let him passs " ? As for Ross himself, I'm glad to see him retired from F1.

[mirafiori]

Well after Ferrari he was cursed again while hoping team Brawn would bring him wins, Button became Ross' new favorite. I know you know that for sure. Extra pits for Rubens and so on. All those places and victories like never before at Ferrari sounds more like his teamate. Did you forget about" Let him passs " ? As for Ross himself, I'm glad to see him retired from F1.
Totally agree with you Brembo man, i actually think what Brawn did in that illegal cheating and lying test was worse than what Mclaren did in spygate.

[Hornet]

To be fair, what Ross Brawn did is something any team principle would have done given the opportunity. We're not supposed to do any track testing for the new engine before the season starts, but we did it anyway with a modified LaFerrari, simply because no one could prove it and we would not be caught.

In F1, you can't win by playing nice. You have to find ways to bend the rules without getting caught.

[brembo man]

Ok , you are being very truthfull, given the opportunity any team principal etc. I fully agree with you. Thats why Brawn should be included as a caught liar and cheat and he did diss my boy Rubens big time. Folks here should IMO stop trying tp canonize for sainthood. I'm again, glad he's retired.

[mirafiori]

To be fair, what Ross Brawn did is something any team principle would have done given the opportunity. We're not supposed to do any track testing for the new engine before the season starts, but we did it anyway with a modified LaFerrari, simply because no one could prove it and we would not be caught.

In F1, you can't win by playing nice. You have to find ways to bend the rules without getting caught.

Are you sure Hornet Ferrari testing 2014 engine in a non formula one car is against the rules, if indeed it was the F14T engine, this has never been confirmed. Like you though I do believe it was our new 2014 engine.

[Hornet]

Are you sure Hornet Ferrari testing 2014 engine in a non formula one car is against the rules, if indeed it was the F14T engine, this has never been confirmed. Like you though I do believe it was our new 2014 engine.

I believe it's more of a gray area thing :Hmm You're right, no one could conclusively prove it's the F1 engine which is why the team do it. Every team have to grab any advantage they can get, even if it bends the rules (if it is, then they have to ensure they can get away with it). Merc simply got caught, but it doesn't mean other teams don't do the same.

F1 these days have too many rules, and we add more with budget cutting rules. So it's all about finding ways to gain advantages that the rules were trying to prevent. They want to limit CFD usage due to cost, but now teams have to find clever way of spending to gain more or even break the CFD limit and find ways to hide it.

[watto2]

Must have been Lewis's influence then :Hmm QUOTE=mirafiori;824722]Nobody is back stabbing just telling the truth, for me i thank all personnel who work for Ferrari regardless of the position they hold, from the very top to the guys who clean the floors. If you want me to say thank you to Ross for the contribution he made while he was at Ferrari then of course i appreciate what he has done, but that does not change the fact while he was working for Mercedes he was a cheat and a liar. Enjoy your fishing Ross.:wave[/QUOTE]

[mirafiori]

[QUOTE=watto2;824827]Must have been Lewis's influence then :Hmm

I have not got a clue, what you are trying to say.:lou

[aroutis]

Well after Ferrari he was cursed again while hoping team Brawn would bring him wins, Button became Ross' new favorite. I know you know that for sure. Extra pits for Rubens and so on. All those places and victories like never before at Ferrari sounds more like his teamate. Did you forget about" Let him passs " ? As for Ross himself, I'm glad to see him retired from F1.
All he did was what he is supposed to do; work with what he has , do what he must in order do get victories.

I think I remember him working the same way with Ferrari, and I see nothing wrong with that either. It's what makes him so good in what he does.

[mirafiori]

All he did was what he is supposed to do; work with what he has , do what he must in order do get victories.

I think I remember him working the same way with Ferrari, and I see nothing wrong with that either. It's what makes him so good in what he does.

Unbelievable you see nothing wrong in what Brawn did at Mercedes ( secret Tyre Test ) and you say he did similar things at Ferrari, OK maybe he pushed the rules to the limit like having the floor of the car flex or front wing slightly lower but all teams do that but Brawn never did or was never allowed to cheat at Ferrari, what he did last year at Mercedes was incredible he not only cheated he lied. Now you say he did similar things at Ferrari can give me some examples.

[brembo man]

All he did was what he is supposed to do; work with what he has , do what he must in order do get victories.

I think I remember him working the same way with Ferrari, and I see nothing wrong with that either. It's what makes him so good in what he does.

I have to admire the way you analize Brawn's do what you must to get victories mentality. That's whyI would like Briatori back in F1 and with Ferrari.

[shamim179]

But you've got to admire how Brawn pulled it off with the tyre test last year - it was extremely cunning and opportunistic. Although unethical it may be this is exactly the kind of winning mentality you need to be one of the best. No wonder he is being head hunted by some teams.

[mirafiori]

But you've got to admire how Brawn pulled it off with the tyre test last year - it was extremely cunning and opportunistic. Although unethical it may be this is exactly the kind of winning mentality you need to be one of the best. No wonder he is being head hunted by some teams.

No I don't admire anyone who cheats and lie, you say it was cunning and opportunistic, this situation only happened with the aid of others. Charlie gave Brawn the go ahead email since has been confirmed, Hembery happy to supply tires knowing full well the whole situation was illegal, drivers also took part again knowing full well using current 2013 car was illegal, during the test both Hamilton and Rosberg did not wear there own helmets to avoid being recognized, Hamilton went a step further and tweeted he was in America but really he was in Barcelona.

[Greig]

Yawn, so much bitterness.

Hope Ross enjoys his retirement.

[aroutis]

Unbelievable you see nothing wrong in what Brawn did at Mercedes ( secret Tyre Test ) and you say he did similar things at Ferrari, OK maybe he pushed the rules to the limit like having the floor of the car flex or front wing slightly lower but all teams do that but Brawn never did or was never allowed to cheat at Ferrari, what he did last year at Mercedes was incredible he not only cheated he lied. Now you say he did similar things at Ferrari can give me some examples.
What I am saying and I am sure you understand is that he had the mentality to win at all costs (one of the things btw that made him work perfectly with Schumacher).

I appreciated that and I wish we still had him on board.

While on topic, what you call cheating is the world of F1, it's been EXACTLY what you mention ever since 1949, countless examples, pushing to the limits and beyond, if you really don't understand this, perhaps you need to look closer.

@brembo, I agree, we need someone with Briattore's mentality running the team.

[brembo man]

Glad someone agrees, he's very intelligent and will push beyond the limit, no more of a bad guy than the rest of F1s big boys. And... I heard he lost weight !

[ManFromMilan]

Nobody long enough in F1, is as white as snow anymore.

[mirafiori]

Nobody long enough in F1, is as white as snow anymore.

You are right nobody in F1 is as white as snow anymore, especially with Bernie running the show, actually the snow looks Yellow.