Ross Brawn announces retirement

Feb.3 (GMM) Despite earlier saying he would consider his F1 future during a sabbatical, Ross Brawn now insists he has definitively retired.

Having stepped down as Mercedes' team boss, the famous 59-year-old has been heavily linked with McLaren and the great British team's 2015 engine supplier Honda.

But despite saying earlier he would contemplate returning to the paddock this year whilst spending time fishing, Brawn announced at the weekend that he has in fact decided to retire.

"What they didn't realise when I was invited here was they had a scoop because the world's press was trying to find out if I was retiring or not," he said at a fishing event in Scotland.

"This is the busiest time of the year for formula one and I said I would come along and open the River Dee.

"If they had put two and two together they would have realised I was definitely retiring," Brawn added.

"I'm retiring -- it's not tongue in cheek," he insisted.

"I'm going to take a year to enjoy the fishing and then see what life brings. I'm looking forward to it but I've got no other plans."

At his former employer, Mercedes said it will not be filling the position of team principal in Brawn's absence.

"Yes, that position is a thing of the past," the Brackley team's Toto Wolff told the official F1 website.

Driver Nico Rosberg said he now reports directly to Wolff, Briton Paddy Lowe and chairman Niki Lauda.

"Technical (issues) is Paddy, but if I don't like the colour of the race car I go to Toto!" he joked.

Elsewhere, it is rumoured Lotus is preparing to confirm ousted McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh as its new team principal, with an announcement possible before the forthcoming Bahrain test.

It is also emerging from Woking based McLaren, where former Lotus boss Eric Boullier is now 'racing director', that aerodynamic chief Marcin Budkowski is leaving, according to Italy's Italiaracing.

The report said McLaren reported "differences regarding future development", although more likely is that Budkowski has paid the price for the disastrous 2013 car.