Ross Brawn not planning full-time return to F1 - MotorSportsTalk

Former Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn is not planning a full-time return to Formula 1 despite holding some “what if” talks with Ferrari a few months ago.

The 59-year-old is one of the most successful team leaders in the history of Formula 1, playing an instrumental part in the successful periods at Benetton and Ferrari.

After leaving the Italian marque to take a sabbatical, he returned in a role with Honda before the manufacturer withdrew from the sport. Brawn saved the team, setting up Brawn GP for the 2009 season.

Brawn went on to mastermind one of the greatest fairytales in the history of Formula 1 as his team rose from Honda’s ashes to win both world championships. It was then bought out by Mercedes for the 2010 season, with Brawn staying on until the end of 2013 before resigning.

His next move has been speculated for some time, with positions at Ferrari and McLaren seemingly available for the Briton should he want it. However, in an interview with German publication Auto Motor und Sport, he confirmed that despite speaking with Ferrari earlier this year, he is not looking to return to F1 on a full-time basis.

“I am living a very different life this year and it feels good,” Brawn said. “I am determined not to return to a full-time job.

“My visit to Maranello in May was purely of a private nature. We talked a little about ‘what if’ but nothing serious.”

However, Brawn did cautiously say that he could not rule out returning to Formula 1 in some capacity in the future.

“Never say never, because you never know what options are going to arise,” he said.

“But at the moment I am pursuing some interests outside of the sport that I never had the time to do before.”

Following Luca di Montezemolo’s departure from Ferrari, it was thought that the door could be open for Brawn to make a return to Maranello. However, for the time being, he is enjoying some time away from the sport after a long and very successful career.

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In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Read more about SuperMotocross