'Strange that Mercedes is not more active in attracting staff from rivals'
General
While racing teams like Aston Martin, Ferrari and McLaren are stirring in the 'transfer market' (read: taking over staff from other teams), Mercedes does not really seem to be actively looking for reinforcements. Nico Rosberg, who raced for the German formation between 2010 and 2016, tells Sky Sports' broadcast that he is somewhat surprised by this.
Mercedes did not bring in any big names recently, or the Brackley-based squad chose to keep this quiet. What is certain is that the team led by Toto Wolff lost some key people to the competition. From the engine division, Ben Hodgkinson and at least five others left for Red Bull Powertrains and aerodynamics boss Eric Blandin was brought in by Aston Martin.
Mercedes 'inactive'
"I’ve heard that Dan Fallows has also been quadrupled in salary plus an equity stake in the team. The teams are going for it to try and get the talent from Red Bull which is the normal way in F1. That’s what always happens," Rosberg said. “Mercedes – strange that they haven’t been a little bit more active there."
Not only do you bring in more expertise as a team, but you also make the competition weaker. And those are not the only two reasons for trying to entice engineers from other teams to switch. "The knowledge that you also get around a set of regulations when you take someone from the best team is just so valuable. Perhaps that’s a little surprising", Rosberg said.
Red Bull faces challenge
For Red Bull, retaining its best personnel is a big challenge. Because of the budget ceiling, not everyone can earn top salaries, and trade-offs have to be made. Competitors are only too happy to release money to bring in a top engineer, and then Red Bull, even being world champions, have no chance. Rob Marshall is one example who will start working at McLaren from next season. The 55-year-old Briton will reportedly earn a multiple of his salary at Max Verstappen's team.