'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Ross Brawn has confirmed his retirement from Formula One, ending rumours that he was set to join Ron Dennis at McLaren.
At a fishing event in Aberdeenshire, the 59-year-old Englishman announced that he not longer wants to be associated with F1. He even took a dig at the media by stating, “What they didn’t (speculators) realise when I was invited here was they had a scoop because the world’s press was trying to find out if I was retiring or not. This is the busiest time of the year for Formula One and I said I would come along and open the River Dee. If they had put two and two together they would have realised I was definitely retiring.”
Brawn, a Formula One team principal, has worked for a number of Formula One teams, serving as the technical director of the championship winning Benetton and Ferrari teams. He also took a 54% stake at the Honda F1 team, which was later renamed as Brawn GP. He left the Mercedes team last year, and since then he had been on a sabbatical.
Brawn said that he is looking at life after F1. “I’m retiring – it’s not tongue in cheek. I’m going to take a year to enjoy the fishing and then see what life brings. I’m looking forward to it but I’ve got no other plans.
He even went on to say a few words about the fishing event itself: “It’s a fantastic honour to do the ceremonial opening of the River Dee. It’s a river I’ve never had a chance to fish before because it is predominantly known as a spring river and in the spring I’m normally trying to sort out a Formula One car in Spain.”
“So February, March and April are never good months for me to go fishing – but this year is different, having stopped,” he finished.
Brawn is often regarded as the mastermind behind Michael Schumacher‘s seven world championship titles (two at Benetton and five at Ferrari), as well as Jenson Button‘s title run with Brawn GP in 2009. In total, Brawn won 16 titles in Formula One – eight drivers’ titles and eight constructors’ titles.
