F1 News: Aldo Costa's Lieutenant John Owen to Leave Mercedes

Mercedes has officially confirmed a reshuffle in its senior technical Formula 1 team, with long-serving director of car design John Owen (pictured) set to depart later this year, marking the end of an era for the Brackley-based outfit.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Owen, a key figure in Mercedes’ engineering ranks, has been instrumental in the team’s success, but much of his contributions came while serving as a lieutenant under Chief Designer Aldo Costa during the squad’s most dominant period in the turbo-hybrid era. Costa, who joined Mercedes in 2011 after a storied tenure at Ferrari, was the engineering director and widely credited as the architect behind the team’s four consecutive double world championships starting in 2014, with Owen as his chief designer.

Owen’s journey with the team began in 2007 when it was the Honda works squad, where he started as a principal aerodynamicist. He retained that role through the Brawn GP era in 2009, before being promoted to chief designer at the relaunched Mercedes team in 2010. Under Costa’s leadership as engineering director from 2011, the duo helped forge some of F1’s most formidable machinery, contributing to nine championship-winning cars overall.

In 2019, Costa transitioned to a technical advisor role and later departed for Dallara, paving the way for Owen to step up and lead the engineering group under technical director James Allison. Owen was further elevated to director of car design in early 2023 amid organizational restructuring driven by the cost cap era. This shift allowed him to focus more on core design work, with some responsibilities shared with engineering director Giacomo Tortora.

Giacomo Tortora. Image supplied by Mercedes Formula 1 Team

Since then, Owen has collaborated closely with Allison and deputy technical director Simone Resta. Following the sign-off of Mercedes’ 2026 car—the 17th design Owen has overseen for the manufacturer—he has chosen this moment to take a career break and step down.

Mercedes has promoted Tortora to the director of car design position, with Owen staying on until mid-season to ensure a seamless handover. Tortora will report directly to Resta. After the transition, the 52-year-old Owen is expected to enter gardening leave before deciding his next move.

Despite his pivotal role in Mercedes’ title-winning machines—often building on Costa’s foundational technical vision—Owen has remained low-key, shunning the spotlight and emphasizing team culture as the key to success.

In a 2021 interview, Owen highlighted Mercedes’ unique environment: “Lots of people say they have a good culture, but they kind of don’t. And I think probably if there’s one thing this team has as a unique thing, it’s that. People who join us find it a really, really great place, a really inspirational place, almost to the point where they sometimes don’t believe it’s true for a while. It takes them quite a number of months to really settle in and think, ‘no, you really are in a safe environment’. And I think people that leave get a bit of shock.”

Owen’s departure comes as Mercedes looks to build on their 2025 runners-up finish to McLaren, aiming to reclaim dominance in the upcoming seasons.