Mercedes’ Director of Car design, John Owen, has stepped down from his role, in a blow to the team ahead of the new Formula 1 season.
The German marque first hired the Brit in 2001, when an engine manufacturer for McLaren, before moving on to Sauber, and subsequently returning to Brackley, where the team is based.
At this time, Owen was part of the Honda team that used the location, and in his role as Principal Aerodynamicist, helped BrawnGP to its astonishing double-title success in 2009.
As the team morphed into a works Mercedes outfit, Owen stayed on and became Chief Designer.
Under his work, the team became the dominant force in F1 between 2014 and 2021, winning every single Constructors’ Championship of the first iteration of the V6 hybrid era, as well as all but one of the Drivers’ Championships in that time, won by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
His ingenuity was also thought to be behind the team’s dual-axis steering system, which was used for the 2020 season and subsequently banned by the FIA.
After a switch to Director of Car Design in 2023, Owen has now decided to step back from F1 altogether, and will do so officially later in the season.
Mercedes said that it wishes Owen “all the very best for the future and thank him for the considerable role he has played in the team’s success.”
Giacomo Tortora, Engineering Director, will assume the role, with Deputy Technical Director Simone Resta overseeing the department.
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