Costa and Ellis departures prompt Mercedes reshuffle

Aldo Costa (right) spent 16 years with Ferrari before joining Mercedes in 2011

Mercedes are re-organising their technical team as they prepare for two key figures to leave their front-line roles.

Engineering director Aldo Costa and performance director Mark Ellis will leave full-time positions at the end of the year.

Costa, who has been central to car design through Mercedes' dominant era since 2014, is to become an advisor so he can spend more time in his native Italy.

Ellis, 54, is to retire from his role and take a sabbatical next year.

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Costa, 57, joined Mercedes from Ferrari in 2011, while Ellis was at Red Bull through their title-winning era of 2010-13 before joining Mercedes in 2014.

Mercedes said the engineering group under technical director James Allison had evolved in recent months in preparation for their departure.

Chief designer John Owen will become the senior member of this group, reporting to Allison.

Chief vehicle dynamicist Loic Serra is to be promoted to performance director, replacing Ellis, by the end of the year.

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said: "This is a significant moment for our team and a great opportunity.

"We have said many times that you cannot freeze a successful organisation; it is a dynamic structure and I am proud that we are able to hand the baton smoothly to the next generation of leaders inside the team.

"We have been in discussion for many months with both Mark and Aldo about how best to implement this transition and to empower their successors.

"Mark and Aldo have both helped to shape the timing and manner of these changes, and the team's future is very bright with John, Loic and our entire technical leadership working under James' direction."