Bojan Vrbnjak
At a meeting of the Mercedes supervisory board last week, Niki Lauda’s successor was elected as chairman of that committee. This is Markus Schäfer (from the Daimler Mercedes Car Research and Development Administration). Schäfer has been a regular member of the Supervisory Board since March.
Frank Markus Webber (Vice President of Corporate Development Daimler AG) was also appointed to the Supervisory Board with immediate effect. These appointments are the result of the reputation of Ole Källenius, who took over as CEO of Daimler (instead of Dieter Zetsche) and Bodo Uebber. Both resigned as supervisory board members on March 22 this year.
The head of the Mercedes team, Toto Wolff (also the business director of Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd), explained: “The recognition of our parent company has been the basis for the team's success so far and will remain so in the years to come. Support for F1 has always been reflected in the composition of our supervisory board, in which the management of the Daimler Group has always been strongly represented. With the appointment of Markus and Frank Markus, that will not change in the years to come. ”
The remaining members of the Mercedes supervisory board, however, retained their positions. These are Britta Seeger (from Daimler's Mercedes-Benz car sales board), Rene Berger (business director next.march, Toto Wolff's investment company) and of course Toto Wolff himself.
The only unknown is what will happen to Niki Lauda's ten percent stake in the Mercedes team. Finally, a rumor spread in the F1 paddock that these shares could be sold to some outside party. But Toto Wolff has already denied these rumors. "That's not true at all." The Austrian adds that no third party will benefit from the team.
In addition to Niki Lauda (10%), 60% of the team's shares are owned by Daimler AG and 30% by Toto Wolff.
