Brawn’s departure announced to Ferrari
10/23/06 Ferrari may be silent on their imminent staffing reshuffle, but autosport.com has learned that technical director Ross Brawn has now told the team that he will not be with them next season.
The Maranello outfit are expected to reveal this week the future structure that will take them into a new era following the retirement of Michael Schumacher. The team's senior management have refused to comment on exactly what shape the new organisation will be, despite Autosport first revealing that Brawn will be taking a sabbatical next season.
But it appears that the team's staff have now been informed officially that Brawn will be leaving his position, after almost a decade with the Italian car manufacturer. According to high level sources, Brawn spoke about his future plans at the debrief following the Interlagos race, and told team members that he would not be a part of their plans for the 2007 season.
That announcement, on the back of Schumacher's decision, prompted emotional scenes on Sunday night as Brawn hugged and congratulated Ferrari staff members in the garage prior to departing the circuit. Brawn himself has not confirmed his news, but has simply reiterated that the official announcement about his plans will be made in the next few days. "We will know this week," said Brawn about whether he will be with them next season. He is expected to make his final public appearance with Ferrari at their Monza World Finals celebration this weekend. Autosport