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Lowe set to join Mercedes after McLaren move

ESPN Staff
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Tim Goss will take over as McLaren's technical director with immediate effect © Sutton Images
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Tim Goss has been appointed McLaren's technical director with immediate effect, replacing Paddy Lowe who is expected to leave the team for Mercedes at the end of the year.

Rumours surrounding Lowe's departure have been circulating since the start of the season and he was notably absent from the launch of the new MP4-28. Officially he will be "performing a different role" at McLaren until the end of the year, with team boss Martin Whitmarsh wishing him luck "when he embarks on a fresh challenge in 2014".

Goss has been McLaren's director of engineering since 2011 and has been employed at the team since 1990.

"I'd like to offer my congratulations to Tim on his new position, which, after more than 20 years of exceptional service for McLaren, he richly deserves," Whitmarsh said. "His quiet and unassuming persona conceals a fierce competitiveness and a wealth of experience, coupled to an unrivalled level of expertise in the field of Formula One car design and engineering.

"It's a little-known fact, for example, that over the past 23 years he's made crucial technical and engineering contributions to the winning of five of McLaren's 12 drivers' world championships and three of McLaren's eight constructors' world championships, and that he's been the principal definer and developer of McLaren's F1 car design function for more than five years.

"In line with what Tim has said, I firmly believe that our technical and engineering team is the best in the F1 business, and that its strength in depth has always been and will continue to be an important element of our on-track success.

"Moreover, I'm certain that, in his expanded role, Tim will continue to lead it very capably indeed, and will evolve and improve it. That's his brief, and it's already clear that he's prepared to embrace it with energy and enthusiasm.

"In truth, though, this is a natural evolution in Tim's already very successful career, and the fact that the decision to offer him our technical directorship was so straightforward for Jonathan and me demonstrates two things: the robust and logical succession-planning that underpins the senior engineering personnel structure within Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, and the commitment we have to developing our people, over many years, allowing their talent and expertise to flourish in a collaborative and collegiate environment.

"That's good work practice, and it's worth lap-time.

Paddy Lowe looks set to follow Lewis Hamilton to Mercedes © Sutton Images
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"Paddy [Lowe] will be performing a different role within McLaren until the end of the year. He's been a good and successful F1 technical director, and we wish him well when he embarks on a fresh challenge in 2014."

Lowe's move to Mercedes has not yet been announced, but Goss' appointment all but confirms the rumours. After Lewis Hamilton's departure, Lowe will be the second big name to leave for Mercedes and will likely be put on gardening leave to try to protect the secrets of the 2014 McLaren.

Goss meanwhile will take over Lowe's roles with immediate effect. "I'm delighted to have been offered the technical directorship of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes - one of the most prestigious positions in global sport - and I'm greatly looking forward to making a significant contribution to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' ongoing success in that role," Goss said. "As before, I'll be leading our car design operations, while continuing the process of evolving and improving our technical and engineering function in collaboration with Martin [Whitmarsh], Jonathan [Neale], Sam [Michael], Neil [Oatley] and the rest of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' hugely experienced technical and engineering team."

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