Paddy Lowe to perfect bonsai before joining Mercedes AMG

The ongoing saga of Paddy Lowe’s rumoured defection from McLaren to Mercedes has reached tipping point with reports confirming the McLaren Technical Director will be joining the Mercedes AMG team.

In true F1 soap opera style, though, Lowe isn’t due to join Mercedes until the end of the year. So, what to does McLaren do with Paddy in the meantime? Well, he can do whatever he likes, so long as it has nothing to do with McLaren’s Formula 1 effort.

Perhaps Paddy can set up the McLaren Bonsai Calming Centre, or the McLaren Macrame Mother’s Group. Or something. Martin Whitmarsh has said Lowe “will be performing a different role” so perhaps we’re not so far off the mark after all.

It’s all a bit of a waste really. What is gained by sending Lowe to the naughty corner? He wants out, just release him from his contract, shake hands and let the bloke get on with his life.

There’s another interesting side note to Lowe’s move as well, and that is the future of Ross Brawn. He’ll be 60 next year and when you hear Ross talk it’s all “when I choose to leave” but there’s also get the feeling the marriage with Mercedes hasn’t quite been the dream that was imagined when they tied the knot after Brawn GP won both the constructors’ and drivers’ world championships back in 2009.

So Lowe will join Mercedes AMG and Brawn will leave Mercedes AMG. On face value both moves look set to take place at the season’s end. But it won’t work like that, really, will it? We think both men will have moved on well before the Grand Prix circus gets to the Belgian Grand Prix after the mid-season break. Let’s wait and see.

[Source: The Guardian]