Lauda - Brawn is Mercedes 'number 1'

After Ross Brawn's clear quit threat, Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda says the 58-year-old Briton is still "number 1" at Brackley.

Amid rumours Brawn could leave the team and possibly join McLaren engine supplier Honda for 2015, he said at Suzuka he wants an assurance about his top job at Mercedes.

"We need to make sure if I'm to remain here that I'm the reference," he told the Sky broadcaster.

So with Paddy Lowe reportedly poised to take over the top job, Lauda made clear Mercedes actually wants Brawn to stay.

"We have had some small problems in the team in the past but everything is sorted now," the great Austrian is quoted by the Mirror.

"It's all agreed between him and Paddy and everyone else. He's number 1.

"I have tried to persuade him to stay," Lauda added. "It's down to him now. I'd say it's 50-50."

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Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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