Mercedes chief designer Owen to leave F1 team

Mercedes chief designer John Owen is to leave the Formula One team later this year, it was announced on Tuesday.

Owen, 52, joined the British-based outfit in 2007, when it was Honda, and has been a key figure in championships won under the name Brawn in 2009 and Mercedes from 2010.

Brawn GP clinched both the drivers’ and teams’ championships in 2009 and the team won seven drivers’ and eight constructors’ championships as Mercedes from 2014 to 2021.

“We can confirm that John Owen, our director of car design, has decided that now is the right time to take a break from F1 and that he will be leaving the team later this year to begin a period of gardening leave, after assuring the transition to his successor,” Mercedes said in a statment.

“John has been with our Brackley team since 2007 and played a considerable role in our success.”

Mercedes said Owen’s role would be filled by Giacomo Tortora, currently engineering director, while deputy technical director Simone Resta will oversee the group.

Pre-season testing starts in Bahrain next month, ahead of the first Grand Prix of the season in Australia on March 8.

Meanwhile, Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll said on Tuesday the team is set to embark on a ‘development journey’ as Formula One readies for its biggest technical overhaul in decades.

Speaking in Tokyo at an event to launch Aston Martin’s partnership with Honda, Stroll had high hopes for the team’s new power unit but acknowledged they would have no idea how it would stack up against their rivals until they get on track.

“We’re all sitting here anxiously waiting to get on track and I really don’t think we’ll have the answer to that question before we get to Melbourne,” he said.

“And even when we get to Melbourne, you know these rules and regulations will be in place for five years.”

Formula One faces a new engine era in the upcoming season as well as the rule changes. The sport will see thinner and lighter cars and a 50/50 split on internal combustion, using sustainable fuel, and electric power.

Testing starts behind closed doors in Barcelona on Jan.26, before the 2026 championship begins with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in early March.

Reuters