© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Mercedes High Performance Powertrains Managing Director Hywel Thomas reveals how big of an impact Red Bull’s ‘talent raids’ have had on the team’s engine factory.
Over the past year Red Bull has been very public about their attempts to attract Mercedes employees to jump ship to their new Red Bull Powertrains engine factory.
It’s no secret that a number of Mercedes High Performance Powertrains employees decided to accept Red Bull’s offer, and some of them were very high-profile signings.
Mercedes HPP Managing Director Hywel Thomas says this is understandable.
“It has been a big change for us that we have got a competitor down the road,” Thomas said.
“It hasn’t been since the early-2000s when Cosworth was in Northampton, that we have had two manufacturers close together.
“They [Red Bull] have undoubtedly hired other people and some of them have come from our place. There is no secret and no problem with that.
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“People want to move on with their careers and become involved in different projects.”
He then explained how Mercedes is dealing with this situation.
“We have had plenty of good people join us to replace those people that have left.
“We have really strong people promoted within the organisation and we have got a really, incredibly strong project group that I am sure is going to be very successful.
“It caused us to change direction with some things we were doing with recruitment and things, but we have always had a strong pipeline of graduate. We have always had a strong pipeline of young, enthusiastic engineers coming through the system.
“We have just accelerated some of that and that sprinkling of people from outside that we have always done,” Thomas concluded.
