F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Brawn tips Mercedes to remain 'strong' in 2017

Ross Brawn believes his former Mercedes Formula One team will have prepared well for 2017’s radical regulation changes and expects the triple world champions to remain at the sharpest end of the grid.

Next year will see the introduction of wider and faster F1 cars, with series bosses keen to shake up the pecking order from the last three years.

Since the last overhaul in 2014, with the introduction of 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged power units, Mercedes has steamrolled the field, securing a trio of championship doubles, 51 race wins and 56 pole positions out of 59 grands prix.

Brawn, who was at the helm of the German manufacturer’s works outfit from 2010 to 2013, believes the scope of the team’s dominance has enabled it to switch their focus to next season “very early”.

“Mercedes will have been pulling resource off this year’s programme onto next year very early, once they saw where they were with the car,” the 62-year-old said in a wide-ranging interview for the latest issue of the FIA’s AUTO magazine.

“If I was there, and I’m sure they’ve carried on a similar philosophy, I’d be saying, ‘Right, we’ve got a strong car, we can only beat ourselves, let’s get everyone onto next year’s programme’. I don’t know how many other teams could do that. Success breeds success. Mercedes will be strong next year, despite the greater emphasis on chassis.”

Sharing his opinion on the new regulations, Brawn, who has been increasingly tipped for a senior F1 management role in recent weeks, is confident these will succeed in delivering quicker and more aggressive-looking cars.

“I’ve not been involved in the process to generate these regulations. When you are involved you know them intimately. I’ve read this set broadly and they’re a big step in a certain direction.

“Outwardly they should make the cars a lot quicker. They’ll look racy, with wider track, wider tyres, and the way the wings are profiled the cars are going to look pretty exciting.

“It will be fascinating, though, as it’s putting the emphasis back on the chassis. There is a view that it was too much towards the engine, but actually I think it brought some balance.

“We went through a phase where the influence of the engine was almost neutral because everything was frozen and they were almost just a bracket between the gearbox and the chassis, whereas now people talk about the engines.”

Jorge Lorenzo: When a two-wheel champion tests a Mercedes

Silbermann says ... Ignore Flavio, get Alonso in

INTERVIEW: Stoffel Vandoorne: The long wait is over

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Julien Billiotte

Recent Posts

Alpine double-podium in Brazil could deliver $30 million windfall

Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…

14 hours ago

F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2024 São Paulo GP

Alexander Albon, Williams (Did Not Start): 5.5/10 Alex Albon is definitely going through something of…

16 hours ago

Jos Verstappen rips British media after Brazilian Max fest

Jos Verstappen wasted no time after his son spectacular win at the São Paulo Grand…

17 hours ago

Leclerc left with ‘mixed feelings’ after disappointing Sao Paulo GP

Charles Leclerc's weekend in Sao Paulo was unfortunately a stark contrast to Ferrari's recent triumphs…

19 hours ago

Back when Kimi knew exactly what he was doing

Twelve years ago on this day, Kimi Raikkonen took a popular win at the 2012…

21 hours ago

Mercedes fined for starting grid tyre pressure infringement

The Mercedes team was hit with a fine by the FIA after Sunday’s Sao Paulo…

21 hours ago