ROSS BRAWN
FORMULA 1 MANAGING DIRECTOR, MOTORSPORT
BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX, 2009

I consider myself lucky to have spent nearly my entire working life in Formula One, in a variety of roles. In fact, the only one missing is  that of a driver!
There are so many grands prix that bring back great memories it’s difficult to single out just one. Obviously, on a hypothetical shortlist, there are those that clinched world titles with Michael Schumacher or the race in 2009 that saw Jenson Button and the team that bore my name win the championship, but there are plenty of others too.
When I left the Mercedes team  at the end of 2013, I believed this chapter of my life was over, but then I got the opportunity to return and look after the sport I love in a very different capacity and at a very special time in its history.
Today, winning is no longer the ‘magnificent obsession’ it was for me every day. That has been replaced with the desire to play a part in taking Formula One into the future. This is an opportunity trace out a new path for a sport  that has few rivals, in terms of the spectacle it offers and its global reach. It has an amazing history from which to move forward and this 1000th grand prix is its brightest symbol.
We want to make Formula One ever more spectacular, with more unpredictable racing and endow it with sustainability, both financially and ecologically. We are all working together to achieve this and I am very optimistic, as we are starting from an incredibly solid base.
For example, there’s the whole story of the power unit, which is a masterpiece of technology and efficiency. There is also a common will to improve. All of us who love this sport know that the world is changing fast and we want the next generation Formula One to keep pace with these changes, keeping in mind that, at the heart of it all, are the people, be they at the wheel of a car, in the grandstands at the race track or in front of a TV screen or watching on a mobile device.