Toto Wolff says former Red Bull chief operating officer Jayne Poole who joined Mercedes earlier this year has brought a "very, very strong edge" to the Brackley squad.
Poole, a well-known figure in the paddock who was also Red Bull Racing's former director of Human Resources, was hired by Wolff as a special advisor to help the Mercedes team improve its internal organization.
The implementation of Formula 1's cost cap rules that were introduced in 2021, coupled with Wolff's desire to have a proper succession plan in place have encouraged Mercedes to tap into Poole's expertise to help the team navigate its future.
Wolff highlighted the benefits for Mercedes of working with somebody from outside its core organization that can deliver a new perspective to the team.
"Now and then, if an organisation becomes mature and follows its processes and strategies, and it's successful, you need to get an outside perspective, and you need to shake it up," Wolff told Motorsport.com.
"You don't want to reinvent it, but you want to consider whether yesterday's assumptions are still competitive enough going forward. And therefore, having somebody come in with fresh eyes, looking at it in a very neutral way, is beneficial.
"So, from time to time, even in a successful organisation, you need to parachute good external people in, because they help you to do the next step."
Former RBR COO Jayne Poole with team boss Christian Horner
Wolff says Poole's vast experience and know-how are valuable assets for the Mercedes team, especially during its current difficult period as the team seeks to turn round its fortunes.
"Jayne is a person that I admired over the last 10 years, that I got to know 10 years ago, and I always had a very respectful relationship with," Wolff explained.
"She worked for the competitor, but you can respect people working for a competitor and acknowledge their performance. Her role at Red Bull was, in my opinion, a very large part of the success of the team over the last years.
"That relationship came to an end, like many relationships come to a natural end. I wanted to hire Jayne for a long time, but it was just never an option. And then it became now.
"She's a great addition. She has a lot of know-how, she's a great psychologist, she has seen another organisation, she knows everybody pretty much, and she has created forensic profiles of all of the good people in Formula 1.
"Having her eyes is a very, very strong edge to the organisation."
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