F1 tech boost for Mercedes

Mercedes GP has boosted Michael Schumacher’s hopes of a better season in 2012 by recruiting two former technical directors in Geoff Willis and Aldo Costa.

Willis, who recently parted company with HRT, joined as technology director on October 17. He is already familiar with the Brackley factory from his days with BAR/Honda, and later played a key role in building up Red Bull Racing.

Meanwhile former Ferrari employee Costa, a long-time associate of Ross Brawn, will become engineering director on December 1. Both men will report to the current Mercedes GP technical director Bob Bell, who joined from Renault last year.

“Obviously we are all optimistic and believe we’re going to produce a better car than we’ve got now,” said Brawn of plans for 2012. “What we don’t know is what other people will do, whether they’ll go forwards or backwards.

“But with every team and every car I’ve ever done you set a list of objectives. You make them as strong and as ambitious as you can, and all our engineers are working hard to achieve those targets.

“The primary objective for all Formula 1 teams is aerodynamic performance, and we have set a very ambitious target for what we want to achieve for next season in terms of downforce and efficiency.”