The Mercedes AMG Formula One team has finally confirmed that its team principal Ross Brawn will be quitting at the end of the year. Responsible for the team going forward will be current business director Toto Wolff and technical director Paddy Lowe. Also continuing to add input will be F1 legend Niki Lauda, who serves as non-executive chairman.

With so many cooks in the kitchen, Brawn’s departure doesn’t come as a complete surprise. In a statement, he explained that the change of regulations coming to the sport next season made it an appropriate time to redefine the management team.

Brawn, whose own Brawn GP team achieved both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships in 2009, started working for Mercedes AMG in 2010 when the German team bought Brawn GP. He was influential in Michael Schumacher's seven world titles at Benetton and at Ferrari.

It is not clear what Brawn’s future plans are, though it’s likely we’ll see him at another team.

“The most important consideration in my decision to step down from the role as team principal was to ensure that the timing was right for the team in order to ensure its future success,” Brawn said in a statement. “The succession planning process that we have implemented during this year means we are now ready to conduct the transition from my current responsibilities to a new leadership team composed of Toto and Paddy."

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