Leading Formula 1 figures up and down pit lane have been paying tribute to one of the modern icons of the sport, Ross Brawn, as he prepares to step down from the sport after 46 years.
Brawn is retiring from his current post as F1 managing director of motorsports, having said "I’ve loved everything I’ve done in the last few years", while adding: "ow is the right time for me to retire."
Brawn took on the role in 2017 shortly after Liberty Media's acquisition of the sport, playing a key role in developing 2022's technical regulations and introducing key initiatives such as the budget cap.
Prior to that, Brawn played a big role in Michael Schumacher's run of success at Ferrari, and then led the eponymous Brawn GP to a history championship triumph in 2009 with Jenson Button.
There had been speculation that he might return to team management, but the 68-year-old Briton says that it's time for him to step back and put his feet up, triggering a number of fulsome tributes from his peers on pit lane.
"We can only thank Ross for everything he has done for us teams and for F1," McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl said. "Not just in these years he was working for F1 but throughout this entire career.
“It was obviously important with everything that F1 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 F1, guiding the FIA, guiding the teams as well.
“I think in the end, we ended up with a great foundation for a great future of F1 thanks to all his work, and I simply wish him all the best for his next chapter in life."
Haas team boss Guenther Steiner highlighted Brawn's work on the 2022 regulations. “I think that is the biggest compliment we can give to Ross," he said. "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.
“He was present when it was needed to make these things happen for F1, and the success of F1 in the moment is partly down also to him," Steiner added. "It’s a team effort but he was a big part of the team."
“We owe a lot to Ross," echoed his Alpine F1 counterpart Otmar Szafnauer. "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 F1."
“{i} also 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 F1 in general to shape it for the future."
Brawn says he's looking forward to being able to follow future seasons “from my sofa, cheering and cursing as a fan”.
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