‘We owe a lot to Ross’ – Team bosses pay tribute to Brawn as he steps back from F1 role

Ross Brawn has received an array of tributes from paddock personnel as he prepares to step away from his role as F1’s Managing Director of Motorsports and embark on a new chapter.

Earlier this week, Brawn confirmed his departure from F1 and reflected on a 46-year career in the sport, which saw him rise from apprentice mechanic to team boss, enjoying success with the likes of Benetton, Ferrari, Honda and Mercedes, and his own eponymous team, Brawn GP.

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After joining F1 itself in 2017, Brawn played a key role in the sport’s development and growth, including plenty of input into the new-for-2022 technical regulations – which improved the racing spectacle – and initiatives such as the budget cap.

Several F1 team bosses have sent their gratitude in Brawn’s direction and noted the impact he made on the paddock across his various roles, as the Briton gets set to follow future seasons “from my sofa, cheering and cursing as a fan”.

“I think we can only thank Ross for everything he has done for us teams and for Formula 1, not just in these years he was working for Formula 1, but throughout this entire career, I would say,” said McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl.

“It was obviously important with everything that Formula 1 has put in place in the last years, be it on the regulation side, on the Concorde side, that an experienced guy like Ross was helping, guiding Formula 1, guiding the FIA, guiding the teams as well.

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“I think in the end, we ended up with a great foundation for a great future of Formula 1 thanks to all his work and I simply wish him all the best for his next chapter in life.

“I still looking forward to see him from time to time and have a good chat, because obviously, his views will always be welcomed and important for future decisions.”

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner echoed Seidl’s sentiments and highlighted the positive effect of the 2022 regulations as something Brawn can be particularly proud of when he moves on to pastures new.

“I think that is the biggest compliment we can give to Ross, because that was his child, basically, to put these regulations through and put us in this place before he moves on to what he’s going to do next,” Steiner commented.

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“He was present when it was needed to make these things happen for Formula 1, and the success of Formula 1 in the moment is partly down also to him. It’s a team effort, but he was a big part of the team, so thank you, Ross, and all the best for the future.”

Alpine chief Otmar Szafnauer added: “We owe a lot to Ross and [say] a big thank you to him. He had a big hand in these regulations. I think we’ve achieved the entertainment value that we wanted.

“I wish him all the best in whatever he does next, be it fishing or whatever he enjoys. We all work hard towards that day of retirement, and we should congratulate him on having a fabulous career in Formula 1 and getting to that retirement age.

“Also [I want to] thank him for all the efforts from being a team owner and winning a championship, to winning with Ferrari and then taking all that experience and helping Formula 1 in general to shape it for the future – so many thanks.”

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