Pre-season preparations took a back seat on Tuesday to Formula One’s equivalent of the transfer market as Mercedes announced the long‑expected departure of their technical director, Paddy Lowe, who is predicted to re-emerge at Williams in a management role. The loss will be felt – Lowe has been ever-present as a key part of the Mercedes team during their three dominant years in F1 – but not as keenly as might be expected.
More intriguingly, however, it may be a factor in creating a scenario that will present a career-defining challenge for Lewis Hamilton: the chance to forge Mercedes around him with the unqualified mantle of team leader.
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