John Owen Leaves Mercedes After Leading Design of 17 Cars

Mercedes confirmed that long-serving director of car design John Owen has resigned and will depart the team over the course of the 2026 season. He will remain with Mercedes to support sign-off on the 2026 W17 and to hand over responsibilities before beginning a period of gardening leave later in the year; Owen has said he plans to take a break from F1 after the transition. The team described the exit as an orderly, planned transition aimed at preserving continuity on the 2026 programme.

Owen’s motorsport career began in the early 2000s at Reynard and Sauber before he joined the Brackley operation in 2007, later serving as principal aerodynamicist on Brawn GP’s 2009 title-winning campaign. Over his time at Brackley he led the design of 17 F1 cars, including the recently completed W17, and was a central figure in Mercedes’ dominance through the hybrid era — notably the constructors’ run from 2014–21 and multiple drivers’ championships. Team statements thanked him for his long service and highlighted the cultural and technical role he played in the Silver Arrows’ success.

To ensure an internal, phased handover, Mercedes has promoted engineering director Giacomo Tortora to take on the director of car design duties while deputy technical director Simone Resta will oversee the wider design group, with Tortora reporting to Resta during the transition. The restructuring is presented as intended to maintain technical momentum on the 2026 car and provide continuity of leadership. Mercedes said the vacancy will be filled from within and that the handover will be managed across the season to protect ongoing development work while Owen moves toward gardening leave later in the year.