Mercedes chooses new structure after departure of Cowell engine top man

Mercedes will have to redecorate the motor department after Andy Cowell has left as boss of the High Permormance Powertrains department. Toto Wolff understands his departure and is now looking at the solutions.

Cowell leaves

It's not the first time Mercedes has to say goodbye to a frontrunner on the staff. Ross Brawn, Bob Bell, Aldo Costa, Paddy Lowe and now Cowell have left. Despite all the people who left, Mercedes continued to grow and won six world titles in a row.

Cowell had been working for Mercedes since 2004 and since 2014 he was a top man on the engines. He won't leave immediately, but from July 1st he will start working on his successor Hywel Thomas. After that he will remain involved in other Mercedes projects until 2021, after which he will look for a new challenge.

New structure within Mercedes

''It's clear that Andy needed a new challenge and I understand that. In December he let me know and since then we have been looking for a solution. With Andy we had a single point of contact and a charismatic man who, as a leader, could do a lot,'' says Toto in Sky Sports' Vodcast.

After a structure with mainly Cowell in the spotlight, responsibility will be shared in the new organisation. ''We've been through this before and we know we can't always solve job vacancies internally. We've also brought in James Alisson and that's proved to be a success'', concludes Wolff.