Is Mercedes Going to Hit a New Lowe?!!

I know Lowe could get around with email and tablets today but basically he will be denied access to Mclaren secrets and developments

obviously work from home software etc unless Mclaren still provide Lowe a network access and somehow block all incoming mail to Lowe from Mercedes


Lowe may well speak to the engineers at Mercedes unless Mclaren make him use their company etc..

it is still not clear if Lowe will be team principal as many lead to believe
 
To be honest I'm no lawyer but I can't really see how McLaren can stop him having some contact with Mercedes If he does and they find out what can they do in reality? Sack him if they did that then he would be free to go there straight away, and so they won't want to sack him all they can do is turn a blind eye to it as long as it it isn't done in the public eye....

By paying him for the next year is the best they can hope for as it denies him access to development of the McLaren 2014 car which basically is all they want..
 
No, if they catch him speaking to Mercedes about anything they can actually sue him for everything he owns as any information he gives away could potentially be worth millions. As speaking to them would be breach of contract and I am sure the notice period will be massive, McLaren could also bring him up on corporate espionage charges if need be, which would be a massively punitive fine or possibly even a jail term (I think).

I for one doubt he will risk any of that, but who knows.
 
That's not true at all.
Employment contracts don't extend that far.

McLaren have no control over who Lowe chooses to talk with.
 
No matter what he has seen and considering no definitive information can can be gleamed from the wind tunnel for next years car will have absolutely no relevance for even for this years car then what possible input can he have, except from his own ability in the field of race car construction?

I will save you the effort of answering.

None whatsoever, he will be starting with a clean slate but with the disadvantage of being dormant for a year...
 
I wonder if there is another possibility?

What if Brawn, not taking kindly to this development, were to hand in his own resignation with immediate effect? Would Mercedes then be put in the position of having to bargain with Mclaren to try and get Lowe released early?
And in that scenario would Mclaren even be co-operative (and if they were, how much might it cost Mercedes)?
And what if that's how Mercedes imagined things playing out all along?
 
Chad Stewarthill said:
sushifiesta yes, that's why he presumably could only do any work for Mercedes by arrangement with Mclaren, but by the tone of Whitmarsh's statement it doesn't sound like that will happen.

Also, going by how Whitmarsh sings the praises of Tim Goss,

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/02/25/mclaren-confirm-lowe-leave-year/

it makes one wonder whether Mercedes even went for the right guy.
Click to expand

But Mclaren would say that wouldn't they. They aren't going to say we're devastated at the loss of Lowe. Button has said it's a big blow to his future. If Mclaren thought he was that good why didn't they already have him as a technical director by now? He's been with Mclaren since 1990, Lowe since 1993.
 
Not what I've heard, can't remember where I read it now but I'll try to find it.

EDIT can't find where I read it, but it was only yesterday. Someone was drawing the comparison between The Newey situation and the Lowe one. It said when the car turned up on the grid it had the same wing as the team Newey left to take gardening leave.
FOUND IT!! It's in the Benson analysis at the side of this article
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/21571627
 
If Mercedes isn't actually paying him, then surely he isn't working for them.

As I see it there is nothing stopping him from working at home on a design for a 2014 car and emailing his designs to Mercedes free of charge.
 
I don't think it's as black and white as that. Hopefully people at McLaren learned something from 2007. The thing is McLaren are paying him for the work he does while under contract to them, if he does work for someone else then it breaches the contract. Lowe would be alright to bounce ideas but would have to be extremely careful with documents and files, especially those sent electronically.
 
I was going to make the same point Greenlantern101. Lowe could act as an unpaid consultant to Mercedes without breaching the terms of his contract with McLaren or, if they don't like what he's up to, they can just stop paying him which allows him to do what he wants anyway. Anything else would be a restraint of trade wouldn't it?

Suppose this is all speculation on our part as we don't know the details of the contracts McLaren put in place with their staff. You do have to wonder how many engineers Mercedes need though.
 
I see on Autosport that Lauda is saying that the hiring of Lowe poses no threat to Brawn as team principal. Given my faith in Lauda, I guess that means that Brawn will be unemployed next year! Is a move to McLaren imminent?
 
Andrew Benson has been Tweeting...

There have been a few questions about the Brawn/Lowe situation so let me explain it as I understand it. Lowe joins Mercedes in 2014

Lowe's position will be to run the sporting and technical aspects of team; Toto Wolff does the rest. Brawn, I'm told, "won't stay"

Neither will Nick Fry. Don't know when each will leave, assuming sources are correct. Don't know Lowe's exact job title

Lowe unlikely to be called "team principal" but that's de facto what he will be - more senior than technical director

Questions over what changes if any to be made to senior technical team. Mercedes won't admit to Lowe's arrival for some time. Don't know why

That's the situation as of now, as I'm told it by people very close to it. That's all I can say on the matter
 
with regards to Lowe on garden leave

I am sure he has a computer at home and email to exchange with Mercedes no doubt whilst getting paid by Mclaren who will no doubt be workign on 2014 car somewhere as well
 
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