Mercedes breathes a sigh of relief: 'I speak to Andy regularly'

Red Bull Racing made a number of staff members available to Mercedes in recent weeks, which did not please the English team. There were rumours that Andy Cowell was on Red Bull's list as well, but Toto Wolff refutes that.

As head of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains Cowell had an important role within the team for years, but in 2020 he let it be known that he was ready for another challenge. Previously, the media has linked his name to Ferrari and in recent weeks Red Bull has also been mentioned as a potential employer, but Wolff maintains that it will not come to that.

The Mercedes team boss knows Cowell is looking for a job outside the sport. "I speak to Andy regularly. He just wants to do something different, not just be known for his work in Formula 1," he told Formule1.com. "Andy has exciting ideas about technology and sustainability. And he has also said, 'If I wanted to continue in Formula 1, I would have stayed with Mercedes.'"

Ben Hodgkinson, Steve Blewett, Omid Mostaghimi, Pip Clode, Anton Mayo and Steve Brodie have all decided to join Red Bull in recent weeks. The team expects to announce some more names in the coming weeks.