A big day in Formula 1: the sports director of the fastest circus on the planet, Ross Brawn, announced in a statement that he is leaving his post at the end of the year and retiring.
“Now is the right time for me to retire.” We have done the hard work, and now the sport is in a period of consolidation. “New technical rules are coming in 2026, and it’s better for another group of people to take over,” said Ross Brawn in a statement sent to Formula 1, thus announcing his departure from the post of sports director, a position he held since 2017, when the American company Liberty Media took over “the fastest circus on the planet.”
Brawn had a remarkable career; he was Michael Schumacher‘s first technical director at Benetton from 1992 to 1996 and then at Ferrari from 1997 to 2006. He then took over at BAR-Honda in 2009, where Jenson Button won the championship. He then sold the team to Mercedes, which thus returned to Formula 1, and left the team in 2013.
“I am leaving Formula 1 in an excellent situation. I’ve loved almost every minute of my 46-year career. I’ve been lucky enough to work with great teams, great drivers, and great people. “Now I’ll be watching Formula 1 from the couch, cheering like a Formula 1 fan, pleased that the sport has such a fantastic future,” added Brawn.
