Formula 1 expands technical team to work with Brawn
Williams head of aerodynamics Jason Somerville is joining Formula One’s new motorsport managing director Ross Brawn as the sport recruits more experts to advise on future technical regulations.
Somerville will be “part of a small group of engineers dedicated to researching fully the direction and implications of future regulations,” Formula One said in a statement.
They will liaise with the FIA Formula One Technical Department and the teams “with a view to improving the entertainment value, the sustainability and the sport of Formula One.”
Nigel Kerr, a key player in the Brawn GP management buy-out from Honda and sale to Mercedes in 2009, joins as finance director for motorsports.
Another of Brawn’s former colleagues, Craig Wilson, arrives as head of vehicle performance. Brawn, who was appointed after Liberty Media took control of the sport in January and ousted Bernie Ecclestone as commercial supremo, has repeatedly said that there can be no quick fix to improve racing.
Danny Batth has had quite a rise since joining the Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) academy as a 10-yearold. Now captain of the club, which is in the English Championship (one rung below Premier League), Batth is among a rising number of footballers with South Asian roots who are playing professionally in Europe. The 26-year-old defender, whose father migrated to UK from Punjab, is currently visiting India, where he recently expressed his desire to play for the Indian national team.
Excerpts: It was a very difficult season for us, with the amount of changes within the club, having a whole new board, three managers and a dozen new players signed days before the start of the season. It reflected in our (lack of) consistency on the pitch, which we hope to address next season. My visit to India was arranged to carry out some charity work up north with the YUWA charity, (which is) helping young vulnerable girls from being sold into child marriage, stay in education and give them the opportunity to play football to build teamwork and confidence skills. Yes, some more distant relatives live in India, but most of my family moved to the UK or Canada a long time ago. We still have land and a house up north which the family still visits. I would love to have the opportunity to play for this great country. However, playing in the Indian leagues is not an option at the moment as I Yes, as far as the limited global coverage goes, Twitter allows the most access in the UK in terms of keeping up to date with Indian Football. I hope a change of the ruling (will allow for) the progression of the national team to boost India’s recognition as a footballing country internationally, and bring success. Of course, at a later stage, once I have achieved my goals to play at the highest level possible in