Mercedes have announced on Tuesday morning that long-serving F1 design lead John Owen will leave the team over the course of the 2026 season.
With the Brackley-based squad gearing up for the reveal of the W17, which is the 17th design that he has overseen for the German manufacturer, Owen has made the decision to take a break from F1. However, he will remain on board to assist with the transition of his successor before his gardening leave period gets underway later in the year. There is currently no information available regarding what the Brit’s next career step might be.
In the meantime, Mercedes have confirmed that engineering director Giacomo Tortora, whose key roles were looking after the design office and organisational development, will now become director of car design. He will report directly to deputy technical director Simone Resta.
Owen’s journey in F1 so far
John Owen started his career in motorsport at the now-defunct racing-car manufacturer Reynard. Thereafter, he worked at the Swiss Sauber team, where he assumed the role of senior aerodynamicist in 2004.
The 52-year-old originally joined what’s now Mercedes when it was the Honda works team in 2007 and stayed on for the title-winning 2009 Brawn GP campaign as principal aerodynamicist.
As the rebranded Mercedes team retained many of the former Brawn GP employees following the team’s sale, they promoted the British engineer to the position of chief designer at the start of the 2010 F1 season.
Owen was integral to Mercedes’s record-breaking eight consecutive constructors’ titles as well as seven drivers’ championships between 2014 and 2021. With some of the team’s most dominant F1 machinery from the early turbo hybrid era being the fruits of his handiwork, he stepped up to become the director of car design in early 2023.
Mercedes have issued a statement that says:
“We can confirm that John Owen, our Director of Car Design, has decided that now is the right time to take a break from F1 and that he will be leaving the team later this year to begin a period of gardening leave, after assuring the transition to his successor.
“John has been with our Brackley team since 2007 and played a considerable role in our success. He has been a key part of 9 Constructors’ Championships across the time he has worked here and this year’s W17 marks the 17th car for which he has had overall design responsibility.
“We wish John all the very best for the future and thank him for the considerable role he has played in the team’s success.”
The Silver Arrows will unveil the renders of W17, which is the last Mercedes F1 car Owen helped design, on January 22, before holding a digital launch show on February 2.
