Wolff elevates d'Ambrosio to team boss 'reserve' status

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Toto Wolff says Jerome d'Ambrosio who stands next to the Mercedes boss' command post on race weekends is now the Brackley squad's reserve team principal.

D'Ambrosio – a three-time winner in Formula E who competed in F1 with Marussia in 2011– was appointed earlier this year by Mercedes as the team's new director of driver development, working alongside long-standing Mercedes-AMG driver development advisor Gwen Lagrue

The Belgian took over the responsibilities previously entrusted to James Vowles before the latter's move to Williams.

However, d'Ambrosio's perennial presence this season alongside Wolff in the Mercedes garage on race weekends is a clear indication that something bigger is at play for the 37-year-old former races, which Wolff has now confirmed.

Read also: Wolff says Mercedes 'sails now set for 2024'

"When I am absent on a race weekend, Jerome will replace me," the Austrian told French weekly Auto Hebdo. "It is true that in 11 years it has only happened three times, but it is a situation that we have to anticipate.

"Now, he has to gain credibility within the team and in the paddock, he still has time, but in case I can’t be there, he will be in my place."

D'Ambrosio and the Wolff family are well acquainted as the Belgian worked under the orders of Susie Wolff during his tenure as team principal of the Monaco-based Venturi Formula E squad, for which the Scot was the acting CEO.

"Jérôme did a very good job last year with his role at Venturi, a small structure, which obviously has nothing to do with ours, which still has 2,500 people," added Wolff.

"However, he is involved and I must even say that half of his interventions during the grands prix are sensible.

"I assure you that this is already a remarkable score, James Allison often told me that I said 50 percent intelligent things, and 50 percent nonsense.

"More seriously, you have to give him time, but I have the impression that he has the right profile to take on this role."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.