Brawn is staying at Mercedes

Ross Brawn's position as Mercedes team principal is not in discussion despite Paddy Lowe's departure from McLaren at the end of the year, Mercedes GP non-executive chairman Niki Lauda said on Monday.

McLaren announced earlier that Tim Goss had taken over as technical director with Lowe, who has been linked in the media as a possible replacement for Brawn, leaving at the end of the year for a "fresh challenge".

"I cannot officially say anything ... McLaren put him on 'gardening leave' so let's wait and see," Lauda, who is also a Mercedes team shareholder, said at a Motorsport magazine Hall of Fame event in London when asked whether Lowe would eventually find his way to Mercedes.