Paddy Lowe gets green signal to join Mercedes in June – Formula 1 news
Paddy Lowe is set to join Mercedes in June after being released early by McLaren from the post of technical director.
Earlier, it was believed that Lowe would leave his current team at the end of 2014, but he has been allowed to start working with his new employers in order to help them understand the tyre situation better.
Mercedes have shown some great speed over a single lap run and their drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been brilliant during the qualifying sessions. Both of them have been setting pole positions for the past three events, which clearly shows
that they have the car to challenge the front runners.
About his move, Lowe said, “I am excited to become part of a highly talented and capable technical organisation. The team has already produced probably the fastest car of the 2013 season while the technical challenges of the new regulations for 2014 will
give us the opportunity to maximise the synergies available to a works manufacturer.”
He added, “That is a challenge I am relishing. I have worked closely with Mercedes-Benz for almost 20 years and deeply admire the company's phenomenal commitment to Formula 1. I look forward to much success together in the years ahead.”
However, qualifying form is not what matters the most in Formula 1, as the car needs to be good in terms of race pace too. This is an area, where Mercedes have been unable to match the likes of Red Bull, Lotus and Ferrari.
Although Hamilton managed to finish on the podium twice in the first four races, he suffered a lot in the heat of Spain. On the other hand, Rosberg has also been unable to make the most of his qualifying form and he has been suffering because of the tyre
wear issues.
This is an area, where Lowe will need to use all his expertise in order to give a solid chance to the Silver Arrows team. Otherwise, things will continue working in the same fashion as last year, where Mercedes were unable to score points with consistency
towards the second half of the season and almost lost their fifth position in the Constructors’ Championship to Sauber.
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