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Paddy Lowe's bold statement:"I've taken Mercedes Formula 1 team to the next level"


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#1 aditya-now

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 15:50

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/115310

 

Paddy Lowe's bold statement:"I've taken Mercedes Formula 1 team to the next level" seems a little over the top to me.

 

True, he gives credit to Ross Brawn, but claims like "I see gaps that Ross hadn't covered and fill in those gaps" are a little too much.

Surely Ross would have filled those gaps himself in the process, you can't do it all at once.

 

Paddy profits from all the groundwork laid by Ross, Nico and Michael as well as the armada of technical engineers. Then he comes and claims he has taken the team to a new level, while the main improvement this year is the engine.

 

Not to forget, Toto Wolff. The Austrian has already had some impact on the Williams team by his advent, and you can sense a change in culture at Mercedes too.

Even more, the set-up of the Austrian tandem gives them an ideal opportunity to play good cop-bad cop when needed.

 

Maybe Paddy made these comments in a need to emancipate himself with all those other names in the team.

Maybe Paddy was really the missing ingredient, who made Mercedes F1 the WDC and WCC team they seem to become this year.

Maybe a little more humility would have been advisable.....

 

Meanwhile, Ross enjoys good fishing and lets the boys do the work.



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#2 garagetinkerer

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 15:52

http://www.autosport...t.php/id/115310

 

Paddy Lowe's bold statement:"I've taken Mercedes Formula 1 team to the next level" seems a little over the top to me.

 

True, he gives credit to Ross Brawn, but claims like "I see gaps that Ross hadn't covered and fill in those gaps" are a little too much.

Surely Ross would have filled those gaps himself in the process, you can't do it all at once.

 

Paddy profits from all the groundwork laid by Ross, Nico and Michael as well as the armada of technical engineers. Then he comes and claims he has taken the team to a new level, while the main improvement this year is the engine.

 

Not to forget, Toto Wolff. The Austrian has already had some impact on the Williams team by his advent, and you can sense a change in culture at Mercedes too.

Even more, the set-up of the Austrian tandem gives them an ideal opportunity to play good cop-bad cop when needed.

 

Maybe Paddy made these comments in a need to emancipate himself with all those other names in the team.

Maybe Paddy was really the missing ingredient, who made Mercedes F1 the WDC and WCC team they seem to become this year.

Maybe a little more humility would have been advisable.....

 

Meanwhile, Ross enjoys good fishing and lets the boys do the work.

I choose option C: "Maybe a little more humility would have been advisable....." Now, where do i collect my prize :p



#3 hollowstar

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 15:55

Lol! Letting your cars catch fire during Q1 is not what I would call "filling in the gaps". Where's the humble pie, Paddy?

#4 milestone 11

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 15:55

Egomaniac. Niki Lauda though would come up with a better word with one letter less.



#5 Ducks

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 16:04

They should be running with Brawns face on the side of the car



#6 pacificquay

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 16:33

He is right though.

 

Not just about the engine. 3 other teams have the same one and they're not winning.



#7 CrucialXtreme

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 16:36

I don't think he was out of line. People are just reading the catchy headline.

 

"The team was on the ascendency over the last two to three years, and through last year was starting to win races and get pole positions more regularly," Lowe told AUTOSPORT.

"Credit to Ross, he had been part of that process. I think I've come in and taken that forward to the next level.

"It's not so much about changing where Ross had been leading, it's more augmenting.



#8 hollowstar

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 16:38

He is right though.

Not just about the engine. 3 other teams have the same one and they're not winning.


This is down to many things but Lowe ain't one of them. Clever integration of the PU, better use of the recovery systems, etc.

#9 Andy35

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 16:41

To quote the old saying,  "Victory has a thousand fathers, defeat is just an orphan.

 

 

Andy



#10 George Costanza

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 16:42

Paddy is wrong on this one.

 

The credit belongs to Ross Brawn.

 

Would he say that if Ross was still at MGP? Of course not...


Edited by George Costanza, 07 August 2014 - 16:43.


#11 Mohican

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 16:42

Paddy somewhat surprisingly turns out to have a big head.

Having said that, I would never trust the media. Particularly not the people who write the headlines.

#12 Dolph

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 16:47

Taken Mercedes to the next level? What's that then? Did he add 0.1 seconds to the performance of the car? The Merc was always going to be Championship winning car in 2014 whether Lowe existed or not.

 

Lowe's declaration that he has augmented things is, quite frankly, worthless. Any senior person coming into a new company is going to improve smth if they aren't a completely incompetent bafoon. There is nothing special about that.



#13 ElDictatore

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 16:49

I don't know what you guys have. He credited Ross and literally said that he just took the command where he left off. And that he said that he just augmented it. What are you expecting him to say? "I'm an executive director but I didn't do anything with what's happening right now". He's there for more than a year, he should have had some effect.


Edited by ElDictatore, 07 August 2014 - 16:50.


#14 Dolph

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 16:49

I don't think he was out of line. People are just reading the catchy headline.

 

"The team was on the ascendency over the last two to three years, and through last year was starting to win races and get pole positions more regularly," Lowe told AUTOSPORT.

"Credit to Ross, he had been part of that process. I think I've come in and taken that forward to the next level.

"It's not so much about changing where Ross had been leading, it's more augmenting.

 

He was out of line. Ross wasn't "part of the process". He was leading it! In charge!



#15 Andy35

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 16:56

I don't know what you guys have..

 

 

Well speaking personally a face that makes women go wobbly at the knees, a brain that will be kept in the Smithsonian institute once I'm gone and a manner with creatures great and small that means I'm forever knocking bluebirds off my shoulder.

 

Also I have the best predictions during the race on the Autosport live forum to boot.

 

Thanks for asking.

 

Andy


Edited by Andy35, 07 August 2014 - 16:57.


#16 jestaudio

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 17:00

If that's a new level I would hate to see what would happen to the car if it went down a level, engine fall out the back, sent out on square wheels, seriously though talk about a big headed ass, :lol:



#17 rallye3

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 17:05

Whatever, he still comes across as one of the most boring people in F1 to listen to. 



#18 SophieB

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 17:11

Disappointed that the article didn't have what I was picturing from the headline, namely Paddy Lowe posturing like Kanye West, maybe saying the quoted line while doing a bit of shadow boxing and going on to call all other teams worthless crap.

#19 superden

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 17:15

He has contributed to the success, no doubt. If the quote is accurate (and it may not be) a lesson in humility might be in order.



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#20 garoidb

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 17:21

Surely he also gives some of the credit to Lewis?



#21 Timstr11

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 17:40

Surely he also gives some of the credit to Lewis?

Drivers don't design cars. Of course bringing in a top-level driver is always brings some extra motivation or spirit but not more than that.

 

Maybe Paddy feels underappreciated by the press. Toto Wolff places himself fully in the limelight to the extent that people are forgetting that Paddy is the technical and race director.


Edited by Timstr11, 07 August 2014 - 17:41.


#22 F1Newbie

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 17:46

Paddy Lowe is Toto Wolff's "mini me", he has no leadership.



#23 MaxisOne

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 17:49

The funny thing is that Ross probably doesn't give a hoot. I think at this point he's more concerned about whats at the other end of his fishing line. 

 

Let Paddy puff his chest out. Considering he is squarely in the shadow of Toto and Niki i think he probably feels a bit left out lol.


Edited by MaxisOne, 07 August 2014 - 17:59.


#24 george1981

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 18:27

I would say the success is largely down to having the best engine and early knowledge of it's characteristics to design the car around. I don't know how much control the guys at Brackley have over the guys at Brixworth. If Paddy Lowe is calling the shots at Brixworth then he should take some of the credit.



#25 zepunishment

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 18:38

I think the phrase 'standing on the shoulders of giants' springs to mind here...

 

I'm sure the rest of the team who have spent countless nights away from their families or stuck at their desks late at night will be thrilled and will agree whole heartedly. I can see now that the article I read in Motorsport a few months back where mercedes staff attributed their success this year to the ability of their in house design staff on both chassis and engine side to collaborate and produce a seamless concept was just fantasy. The key to Mercedes' success is PaddyPower, obviously!



#26 Owen

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 18:48

http://en.m.wikipedi...apoleon_complex

#27 OSX

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 18:49

Given Mercedes' success this season it's easy for Lowe to make such a bold claim but I'm certain that deep down even he knows that it is impossible to truly say if his presence has actually made any difference whatsoever.



#28 garoidb

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 18:52

Given Mercedes' success this season it's easy for Lowe to make such a bold claim but I'm certain that deep down even he knows that it is impossible to truly say if his presence has actually made any difference whatsoever.

 

Perhaps it is easier to discern whether his absence has affected McLaren?  



#29 Jon83

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 18:55

He has a lovely wife, that's all I can say for sure about the guy. 



#30 Jon83

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 18:56

Perhaps it is easier to discern whether his absence has affected McLaren?  

 

Well he would have had some involvement in their nightmare production of 2013. 



#31 P123

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 18:56

Lowe has been there since June last year, so I'm sure some of the success Mercedes is enjoying is down to him. How big a part he played in taking Mercedes to that next level can only be answered by team insiders. They do still have the same old niggling reliability issues, so it's not 'job done' yet.

#32 flyboy

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 18:57

If, in fact, he said this, it is very tone deaf and will not endear him to the rest of the team.    Poor leadership skills.



#33 royalblue0

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 19:10

Perhaps it is easier to discern whether his absence has affected McLaren?  

 

Beat me to it 



#34 Jon83

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 19:12

Lowe has been there since June last year, so I'm sure some of the success Mercedes is enjoying is down to him. How big a part he played in taking Mercedes to that next level can only be answered by team insiders. They do still have the same old niggling reliability issues, so it's not 'job done' yet.

 

Right place at the right time, a bit like Wolff? Or is that unfair?

 

I was under the impression that development of this Mercedes car was started a long time before he arrived. 



#35 Zoetrope

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 19:13

You are overinterpreting too much.

"The team was on the ascendency over the last two to three years (...) Credit to Ross, he had been part of that process. I think I've come in and taken that forward to the next level"

It means he didn't screw up what Ross and co. did and just refined some things that he found functioning not optimally. He doesn't say he made Mercedes winning team - he says he didn't ruin anything and also added some improvements.

Edit: Pretty much the same as with majority of drivers quotes. Too much fuzz about nothing.


Edited by Zoetrope, 07 August 2014 - 19:17.


#36 tifosiMac

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 19:13

I'm sure Paddy has made his mark at Merc no doubt.

Hands up who doesn't big themselves up in their working environment?

#37 pup

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 19:17

Meh.  The headline overstates the quote, and the quote is probably taken out of context.  I'd bet that if we saw the entire interview, there'd be a lot of questions leading up to this, about whether Merc made a mistake firing Brawn, how much credit does he deserve, how little does Lowe deserve, etc.  Reporters are good at winding up their victims until they get defensive and say something like this.

 

Remember that it's summer break - the editors have got to keep us interested somehow.



#38 MaxisOne

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 19:18

I'm sure Paddy has made his mark at Merc no doubt.

Hands up who doesn't big themselves up in their working environment?

 

I dont, Unless youre doing your CV or Resume i don't see the need to. Let your jobs performance evals do the talking for you. Lets the accolades come from your co workers and your boss.  Unless someone is stealing the recognition of what you have accomplished (and even then there is a right and wrong way to point that out)

 

Just my humble.... Opinion ..



#39 Riverside

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 19:19

 

Paddy profits from all the groundwork laid by Ross, Nico and Michael as well as the armada of technical engineers. Then he comes and claims he has taken the team to a new level, while the main improvement this year is the engine.

 

  Exactly this .    



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#40 royalblue0

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 19:19

Disappointed that the article didn't have what I was picturing from the headline, namely Paddy Lowe posturing like Kanye West, maybe saying the quoted line while doing a bit of shadow boxing and going on to call all other teams worthless crap.

 

Or perhaps poised on a set of wide steps, one foot on the next level up, arms outstretched as if about to burst into song


Edited by royalblue0, 07 August 2014 - 19:28.


#41 garagetinkerer

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 19:31

Right place at the right time, a bit like Wolff? Or is that unfair?

 

I was under the impression that development of this Mercedes car was started a long time before he arrived. 

I think they were one of the first teams to begin work on 2014 car, which started sometime in 2012... while Lowe was still designing "annus horriblis" at McLaren for 2013.

 

I have never seen a designer or lead claim that he/ she did it. Usually it is always said that it was a team effort, which is the truth. Except may be in old days, when designers could make a great deal of difference, but that isn't the case anymore. I don't know what he was thinking... may be he's just trying to seem important, so as not to get axed. I mean Costa did a heck of a job with this car.



#42 bogi

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 20:49

image_thumb215.png



#43 George Costanza

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 21:02

image_thumb215.png

This.



#44 Ferrari_F1_fan_2001

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 21:16

Time will tell us how great Lowe's legacy is. If the team is consistent and great as they are now, over a number of seasons, we will judge him favourably ala Horner, Brawn, Todt etc.

 

If Mercedes is the #2 next season because their development of the W05 to the W06 hasn't been great, how he comes back from that will define him.

 

If this season is merely a shooting star and Mercedes revert back to BAR/Honda form (poor in season development) that too will define him.

 

He has made the big statement. Now he has to back it up.

 

Personally I think Red Bull and Renault will get their act together and walk it again once they claw back to aerodynamic and engine performance. 



#45 Timstr11

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 21:21

image_thumb215.png

 

Not sure what this is supposed to illustrate.

 

Loic Bigois left for Ferrari since 2012.

Craig Wilson left for Williams last year.

 

While we're at it, the tech leadership team that was in place (and still is bar Brawn) before Paddy and produced  the second fastest car of 2013:

 

Ross Brawn - TP

Bob Bell -Technology Director

Aldo Costa -Engineering Director

Geoff Willis- (Simulation)Technology Director

Mike Elliot -Head of Aerodynamics

John Owen - Chief Designer

Andy Cowell - Mercedes HPP


Edited by Timstr11, 07 August 2014 - 21:23.


#46 P123

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 21:24

image_thumb215.png


Yes they all deserve a big hug and pat on the back..... or maybe not. Bigois left in 2012. I guess Nico must have had a eureka moment too, what with the drivers being so crucial in terms of development. And lets ignore the engine guys, they'd just be riding on the back of Brawn's success.

#47 MaxisOne

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 21:27

I agree with the top 4 in the pic bogi posted .. then add Andy from HPE Brixworth.



#48 bogi

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 21:28

That was the old pic from 2012 in the text how Mercedes is building super team. We could double that pic now...



#49 rmpugh

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 21:32

I see what you mean  Zoetrope, but he did also say this

 

"Ross has been out since December, and time passes". "I can't even remember last December. So, no disrespect to Ross, but that's old history".

 

By saying "So, no disrespect to ..." means "everyone knows that I am disrespecting ... but I just don't care". He does have an amazingly large ego for somebody who has only ever been tech boss for 1 WDC and no WCC's. (with the 2008 McLaren actually designed by Neil Oatley).



#50 FastnLoud

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 22:03

Not being funny but did Paddy not watch the last race in Hungary where he listened to Toto regarding team orders and then gave that instruction to Lewis's engineer that we all know was the most stupid call - Oh yes Paddy, you certainly have gone to the next level indeed, not making any decisions of your own, but having Toto in your ear on the pitwall all race and doing whatever he tells you to do.