MOTOR SPORT: Ross Brawn is expected to retire from his position as technical director of the Ferrari team at the end of the season after 10 years as a main driving force behind the Italian squad's record of sustained success which has seen Michael Schumacher win five world championships since 2000, writes Alan Henry.
If he leaves Ferrari it could have a profound effect on the German driver's decision whether to continue racing.
From a professional standpoint, no one knows Schumacher better than the British engineer. They first worked together in 1991 at Benetton, where Brawn helped mastermind the German's first two title successes, in 1994 and 1995, and since then they have developed into the most closely integrated technical partnership in Formula One.
The synergy between the two men is underpinned by a sense of mutual trust, with Schumacher investing total confidence in Brawn's split-second strategic decisions from the pit wall.
Ferrari would not comment yesterday on speculation about Brawn's future.
"We will be announcing our driver line-up at the Italian Grand Prix next month and confirming details of our team structure at the end of the year," a spokesman said.
Williams have announced test driver Alex Wurz will race alongside Nico Rosberg next season after it was decided not to retain Mark Webber.
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