John Owen was key figure in titles won from 2014 to 2021
Audi to unveil first car in Berlin on Tuesday evening
Mercedes have announced that their leading car designer, John Owen, will leave this season as Formula One enters the first year of a major change in regulations. Owen has played a key part in the enormous success Mercedes has enjoyed in the modern era when the team secured eight consecutive constructors’ championships.
There are no indications as yet that Owen intends to join another team, with Mercedes stating he will continue in his role until mid-season to manage the transition process, after which he will take a period of gardening leave and what the team described as “a break from F1”.
Mercedes will promote the engineering director Giacomo Tortora to become director of car design. Tortora already has a close working relationship with the technical director, James Allison, and the deputy technical director, Simone Resta, who oversees the group.
