Back in the day, one team dominated Formula One like no other before it and none since. Michael Schumacher was driving, Ross Brawn was running the team and Aldo Costa was designing the cars. It was a winning combination, to say the least, one that yielded seven world championships. That was at Scuderia Ferrari. And now the three are together again at Mercedes GP.
Brawn and Schumacher working together at Mercedes is nothing new – it's a familiar relationship that has found its roots again under the Silver Star for the second season running. The news is the addition of Costa.
The Italian engineer was recently sacked by Ferrari after years of service during which time Costa had ascended to the role of technical director – one step below team principal and in charge of pretty much everything this side of commercial and political aspects. Ferrari let him go out of dissatisfaction over its (and therefor his) performance in recent years, but his former boss Brawn was quick to scoop him up.
Costa will now be serving as engineering director, staying back at HQ to design and develop the cars, as part of a new team that also includes ex-Red Bull man Geoff Willis as technology director (aerodynamics and electronics) and Bob Bell, formerly of Renault, as technical director, overseeing both. Official announcement after the jump.
Brawn and Schumacher working together at Mercedes is nothing new – it's a familiar relationship that has found its roots again under the Silver Star for the second season running. The news is the addition of Costa.
The Italian engineer was recently sacked by Ferrari after years of service during which time Costa had ascended to the role of technical director – one step below team principal and in charge of pretty much everything this side of commercial and political aspects. Ferrari let him go out of dissatisfaction over its (and therefor his) performance in recent years, but his former boss Brawn was quick to scoop him up.
Costa will now be serving as engineering director, staying back at HQ to design and develop the cars, as part of a new team that also includes ex-Red Bull man Geoff Willis as technology director (aerodynamics and electronics) and Bob Bell, formerly of Renault, as technical director, overseeing both. Official announcement after the jump.
MERCEDES GP PETRONAS STRENGTHENS TECHNICAL TEAM
The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team is pleased to announce two new appointments as the team continues to strengthen its technical structure. Geoffrey Willis will join the team as Technology Director on 17 October and Aldo Costa will begin his role as Engineering Director on 1 December.
Aldo and Geoffrey will report to Technical Director Bob Bell. Aldo will be responsible for design and development, and Geoffrey will head the aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics, control systems and simulation functions.
Geoffrey Willis worked at Brackley from 2001 to 2006, and was Technical Director at Red Bull Racing from 2007 to 2009, before taking a consultancy role with Hispania Racing in March 2010.
Aldo Costa previously worked as Technical Director at Ferrari, joining in 1996 after eight years at the Minardi team. Aldo won eight World Championships at Maranello, prior to his departure in May 2011.
Team Principal Ross Brawn said: "I am delighted to announce that Aldo Costa and Geoff Willis will be joining the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team. Geoff is a highly respected engineer with over twenty years of Formula One experience, and we look forward to his arrival next month. Having worked closely with Aldo for many years, I know that he will bring dedication and championship-winning expertise to the team when he joins in December. Building a winning team is an exciting challenge for us all as we work towards the competitiveness and standards that we aspire to as the Mercedes-Benz works team. With a strong technical structure led by Bob Bell, we are moving ourselves into the best possible position to achieve our ambitions."
Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport commented: "Since MERCEDES GP PETRONAS was formed as a new team in early 2010, we have been putting in place the building blocks for success. Our technical organisation was strengthened by the arrival of Bob Bell and, working closely with Ross, he has identified the areas where we can improve still further. Aldo and Geoff will reinforce our technical management and bring the experience required to harness the talents of our people in Brackley; we have also recruited and invested at other levels in order to maximise our competitiveness under the Resource Restriction Agreement. Our goal remains to progress step by step in order to establish ourselves as a front-running team for the long term, in line with the tradition of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows."
The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team is pleased to announce two new appointments as the team continues to strengthen its technical structure. Geoffrey Willis will join the team as Technology Director on 17 October and Aldo Costa will begin his role as Engineering Director on 1 December.
Aldo and Geoffrey will report to Technical Director Bob Bell. Aldo will be responsible for design and development, and Geoffrey will head the aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics, control systems and simulation functions.
Geoffrey Willis worked at Brackley from 2001 to 2006, and was Technical Director at Red Bull Racing from 2007 to 2009, before taking a consultancy role with Hispania Racing in March 2010.
Aldo Costa previously worked as Technical Director at Ferrari, joining in 1996 after eight years at the Minardi team. Aldo won eight World Championships at Maranello, prior to his departure in May 2011.
Team Principal Ross Brawn said: "I am delighted to announce that Aldo Costa and Geoff Willis will be joining the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team. Geoff is a highly respected engineer with over twenty years of Formula One experience, and we look forward to his arrival next month. Having worked closely with Aldo for many years, I know that he will bring dedication and championship-winning expertise to the team when he joins in December. Building a winning team is an exciting challenge for us all as we work towards the competitiveness and standards that we aspire to as the Mercedes-Benz works team. With a strong technical structure led by Bob Bell, we are moving ourselves into the best possible position to achieve our ambitions."
Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport commented: "Since MERCEDES GP PETRONAS was formed as a new team in early 2010, we have been putting in place the building blocks for success. Our technical organisation was strengthened by the arrival of Bob Bell and, working closely with Ross, he has identified the areas where we can improve still further. Aldo and Geoff will reinforce our technical management and bring the experience required to harness the talents of our people in Brackley; we have also recruited and invested at other levels in order to maximise our competitiveness under the Resource Restriction Agreement. Our goal remains to progress step by step in order to establish ourselves as a front-running team for the long term, in line with the tradition of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows."
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