Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd (MGP) has confirmed the addition of Markus Schafer and Frank Markus Weber in its F1 board after last week’s meeting.
With the death of Niki Lauda and Dieter Zetsche stepping down from his role, Mercedes appointed Ola Kallenius – who was a board member of MGP until May 22 – as the Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG & Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.
In addition, Bodo Uebber also stepped down from the MGP board on the same day as Kallenius, thereby leaving a void, which has been filled by the appointments of Schafer and Weber, to join in Britta Seeger, Rene Berger and Toto Wolff.
Schafer comes in as a non-executive chairman, having served as a non-executive director since March 11, 2019, while takes up the non-executive director role in his place. Although Mercedes did not mention it but the former could be taken as the replacement for Lauda.
Speaking on his new role and F1, Schafer said: “Mercedes-Benz is a driving force in the transformation to emission-free mobility. To maintain personal mobility, cutting-edge technology is required to push boundaries and redefine standards, and this can only be achieved by focusing on a shared goal and through fantastic team spirit.
“Our learnings from the exciting world of F1 have brought us valuable and inspiring synergies, and I am looking forward to build upon that close cooperation.” At the same time, Wolff added: “The commitment of our parent company has been fundamental to the team’s success and will continue to be so in the years ahead.
“This support for F1 has always been reflected in our team’s board, with strong representation from Daimler’s senior leadership, and it continues through the appointments of Markus and Frank Markus for the years ahead.
“F1 is a powerful technology and marketing platform for Mercedes-Benz globally, and a valuable shop window for the company’s values and its competitiveness.” While the F1 side seems sorted, Mercedes is yet to reveal full details of its Formula E plans.
The German manufacturer is to make its debut in the 2019/20 season with the Gen2 car. They are to integrate with their long-standing partners HWA AG, which ran as HWA Racelab in 2018/19 season with Stoffel Vandoorne and Gary Paffet driving.
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