Ross Brawn has confirmed that he has called time on his Formula 1 career and has said that he will watch it "from my sofa" for the future. As F1 Managing Director, he has oversaw a dramatic overhaul of the F1 regulations and led the way in improving the on track action. Brawn said earlier this year that he plans to step back at the end of the 2022 season, as his contract with Liberty Media expired. "Now is the right time for me to retire. We have done the bulk of the work, and we are in a consolidation period now," Brawn said, speaking in his column on F1.com . RacingNews365.com understands that Brawn can be called back for consulting in the future.
Brawn: I believe I'm leaving F1 in a great place
Having laid the groundwork for the next set of regulations which will be introduced in 2026, Brawn said he is "leaving F1 in a great place." "There’s a new car coming in 2026, but that’s four years away, quite distant for me, so it’s better the next group of people take on that mantle. I believe I’m leaving F1 in a great place. "I’ve loved almost every minute of my 46-year career and I’ve been fortunate to have worked with many great teams, great drivers and great people. "I wouldn’t have changed a thing. One certainty is that without my wife and family support I couldn’t have done it and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it. "I will now watch F1 from my sofa, cheering and cursing as an F1 fan, pleased that the sport is in a fantastic place and has such a fantastic future."
A legendary career
Brawn first worked in F1 in 1985 at the Haas Lola team, before going on to work at Benetton in 1991 as Technical Director and helping them to consecutive Drivers' Championships with Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995. He later followed Schumacher to Ferrari in 1996, where under the leadership of Jean Todt they won five consecutive Drivers' and Constructors' Championships. After taking a brief sabbatical in 2006, Brawn returned to Honda in 2007 which later became Brawn GP when the Japanese manufacturer pulled out in 2008 at the height of the financial crisis. Brawn utilised the existing project build for the 2009 season and went on to famously take both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championship again with Jenson Button. The team was later sold to Mercedes in November 2009, which saw Brawn stay on as Team Principal for another four years before making way for the partnership of Toto Wolff and the late Niki Lauda. Brawn went into a brief retirement spell between 2014 and 2016, before coming back into the F1 foray as Managing Director when Liberty Media took over.
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