A key Mercedes lieutenant moves on

As newly crowned world champion, Lewis Hamilton occupied the spotlight with his promotional tour of television and radio stations last week. Meanwhile, in a quiet pub near Brackley, one of the principal architects of Mercedes' dominance bade farewell to the team without anywhere near as much fanfare.

Technical director Bob Bell's leaving do was a low-profile affair, but few in the team would deny the huge contribution he had made in helping turn the W05 Hybrid into the dominant machine that allowed Hamilton to triumph in the first place.

Bell is no stranger to success with a turbo car. He was an aerodynamicist with McLaren during that brilliant 1988 campaign - which means during the past two turbo seasons his cars have won 31 out of 35 races. Talk about a good hit rate...

At Mercedes his role has been different. Here it was more about organisation, putting in place the right team of people, the right process and the right structure that Mercedes needed to make the most of the opportunity afforded it by the new regulations. Nevertheless, his impact has been well felt, even if it's not as celebrated as that of the main stars in the cockpit.

Bell is one of the many hidden lieutenants at Mercedes. Look closely at the key figures behind the success story and you see the epitome of British engineering talent that, in an efficient but very quiet way, gets on with delivering without the need to shout from the rooftops.

Cowell turned down Ferrari's overtures © LAT

It's the same on the power-unit front too. On Sunday night in Abu Dhabi, as television cameras stalked Hamilton's every move, and team chiefs Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda were engulfed in media scrums, some of the geniuses at Mercedes were able to celebrate without having flashbulbs in their faces.

There, in the corner of the team's hospitality unit, was Mercedes-Benz High Performance Powertrains chief Andy Cowell, enjoying a celebratory beer now that he could finally relax following a year of dominance.

Cowell is a man who loves the engineering challenges of his job and is very much down to earth about what has been created by him and his staff at Brixworth.

In fact, his passion for what he has helped build is why he turned down overtures from Ferrari this year to head up its engine project.

"I work for Mercedes and I very much enjoy working for Mercedes," he says matter of factly about why he was not interested in the lure of Maranello.

And while Hamilton and Nico Rosberg could reflect on Sunday night on the defining moments of the campaign - Monaco, Hungaroring, Spa - for the engineering geniuses such as Bell and Cowell, success on track is defined not by what has happened in a single race but by the hard work done back at base during the cold winter months.

As Cowell says: "I think some of our key moments were in the factory this time last year.

"We had various development engines and when they came on song and reached a performance level - 1000km longer, then 2000km and then 3000km - they are the key development things. It's all the people in the factory. It's those who make the breakthrough so hopefully it goes smoothly at the circuit - which 90 per cent of the time, it has done."

That work never stops and thoughts are already on the next battle.

For Bell, a new chapter in his life away from Mercedes now begins, and his success there - plus a CV that includes two titles at Renault - will surely open doors elsewhere. For Cowell, his sights are already on what needs to be done for 2015 to make sure that Mercedes' dominance continues.

"Today's celebration is tomorrow's perspiration for the first race of next year," he smiles.

Forget the idea of now being a time to relax and reflect. Formula 1 2015 is being fought out in offices, factories and test beds near you right now.