Further management changes at Mercedes will see Nick Fry step down next month and Toto Wolff take over his former responsibilities.
Wolff thanked the outgoing chief executive officer, saying “Mercedes AMG Petronas enjoys a strong network of global, blue-chip partners who want to be associated with Mercedes-Benz in Formula One and we will work hard to retain our loyal partners while also attracting new names to the sport in the future.
“I am pleased that Nick will remain close to the team to support us in achieving these targets.”
Fry has been with the team since 2002 when it was BAR. Together with Ross Brawn he played a role in salvaging the team when its F1 programme was cancelled by Honda at the end of 2008. After running for one year as Brawn it was taken over by Mercedes.
“I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with our team for the last 11 years and remain extremely proud of the fact that we took the team to its first race win and especially the double world championship in 2009,” said Fry.
“Equally important is the success of our commercial activities as we have managed to gain the support of some of the most important companies in the world, thereby building a strong foundation for the future success of the team.”
“I believe that Mercedes AMG Petronas offers the best sponsorship proposition in Formula One and I look forward to continuing to assist the team and its partners over the coming years.”
Wolff joined Mercedes from Williams in January as executive director.
2013 F1 season
- Mercedes originally favoured Heidfeld for Hamilton’s seat
- Take F1 Fanatic’s new 2013 season quiz
- F1 Fanatic’s new year thanks and credits 2014
- The complete F1 Fanatic 2013 season review
- The drivers, teams and cars of 2013
Browse all 2013 F1 season articles
Image © Daimler/Hoch Zwei
synapseza (@synapseza)
22nd March 2013, 11:22
I am sure Nick Fry is pleased about this too. I know it will never happen, but it would have been nice if teams were honest in their press releases.
GeorgeTuk (@georgetuk)
22nd March 2013, 11:40
Are you sure he won’t?
It doesn’t say where he is going but he might have been offered a non-executive directorship. It does seem an odd thing to say though if not.
synapseza (@synapseza)
22nd March 2013, 11:46
Yes I agree – strange. I saw in another report that he will remain as a consultant until the end of 2014, but not sure how accurate this is.
Wil-Liam (@wil-liam)
22nd March 2013, 11:25
hmm so where would paddy lowe be ?
MagillaGorilla (@magillagorilla)
22nd March 2013, 11:36
Does that mean that Fry is going to be helping on some other motorsport activity…what exactly is ther for him now
D (@f190)
22nd March 2013, 12:09
How creepy does he look in that photo !
PhilEReid (@philereid)
22nd March 2013, 13:44
Probably heard that his plan to get Britney Spears in the car just pulled off.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
22nd March 2013, 17:10
@f190 – that was exactly my reaction! “First I will take over your team, then I will build an evil layer in a hollowed out volcano and take over Ze World!”
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
22nd March 2013, 22:11
@f190 Looks like any regular Austrian to me.
OOliver
22nd March 2013, 12:15
I am surprised he lasted this long. Fry had almost been redundant since the Honda days after Brawn came on board. He never really delivered as a team boss.
verstappen (@verstappen)
22nd March 2013, 15:26
He must have done something well? Wasn’t he the one who came with the earth car?
synapseza (@synapseza)
22nd March 2013, 16:34
The RA107’s livery was just horrific and made very little sense given the regulations at the time. The Mercedes team (and BAR, Honda, Brawn) has never had a good looking livery, but for me the RA107 (2007) and BAR 01 (1999) are amongst the worst liveries ever.
verstappen (@verstappen)
22nd March 2013, 20:08
Fully agreed,
upon re-reading the irony of my post is somewhat lost…
Boy what an ugggly car was that!
Eggry (@eggry)
22nd March 2013, 14:56
Ross Brawn in danger.
BasCB (@bascb)
22nd March 2013, 17:07
I think it only makes sense to give Wolff more of a clear role, Fry really was in a job that covered much the same things, wasn’t he?
With Brawn its quite a different thing, so I don’t think he will be replaced yet.
Brace (@brace)
22nd March 2013, 15:00
Excellent!
Now all I need to do is get rid of Ross, so that Paddy can start making us some overcomplicated cars!
pSynrg (@psynrg)
22nd March 2013, 19:05
More evidence that the Mercedes/Hamilton plan is either going to be a total success or a complete failure.
Nick Fry always came across as a grand master of average and quite content to be nice and sit it out in the mid-field if he was lucky. Probably a great people person (hence his previous roles in areas such as customer services) but never one to give an impression that there was latent ambition just waiting to burst forth.
Now we’re all expecting Ross to be given the boot also but personally I think that would be disastrous…