» New technical director for Mercedes GP

Mercedes GP has announced it has hired former Renault chief Bob Bell as its new technical director.

Bell quit his post at Renault in October last year and will commence his new position with Mercedes GP on 1 April, which will see the Ulsterman reporting to team boss Ross Brawn while heading up the outfit’s chassis team.

Bell has been involved in Formula 1 for over three decades, working for the likes of McLaren, Benetton and Jordan before he moved to the Renault outfit in 2001 as the team’s deputy technical director, reporting to Mike Gascoyne. When Gascoyne left the team to join Toyota, Bell was promoted to his post.

Bell assumed the temporary role of Renault’s team principal when Flavio Briatore left the team in the wake of the ‘Crashgate’ scandal, overseeing the team’s sale to Genii Capital and staying on as the team’s managing director until he left late last year.

In the press release issued by the team, Bell said he was “delighted and honoured” to become part of the Mercedes GP family.

“It will be a privilege to be a part of such a strong and determined organisation, and to be able to contribute to furthering the enviable heritage of Mercedes-Benz in motorsport.”

Ross Brawn was equally pleased with this announcement, adding: “Bob’s appointment is a key step in the strengthening of our excellent technical team and we are pleased to have recruited one of the most experienced engineers in the sport.

“Bob will be an important asset to our team, bringing with him a wealth of Formula 1 knowledge and championship-winning experience, and we look forward to welcoming him at the start of April.”

[Original image via LAT]