प्रेस प्रकाशनी - Mercedes-B15 row: Craig Gardner's perspective

Mercedes-B15 row: Craig Gardner's perspective

The one thing that's clear at this point is that someone lied in the process of convincing Steeven Wonder to drive for B15 Racing in season 60. Gardner was not involved in the contract discussions, but his name did come up as a potential teammate for Wonder. Since this has now spilled into the public domain, I feel it appropriate to tell my side of the story.

An agreement was made between me and Erik for Craig Gardner to drive at Mercedes for one season only (season 59). I can't quite remember when he divulged to me that he would be selling the team, but there was a follow up agreement in place by December 7th 2024 that Gardner and Rosberg would then team up at Toyota for seasons 60 and 61. There were never any plans for Gardner to drive for B15. Whilst I was under the impression that Erik was keeping his decision to sell the team a secret from the greater public, I imagined that he would've at least warned any potential B15 driver for season 60 that this was his plan. I do not wish to speak directly on Erik's behalf here, as it is up to him if he wishes to share his perspective publicly. However, recent internal discussions have led me to believe that he did in fact try to warn the drivers he signed for season 60 about this possibility.

I had planned to stay within B15's orbit for the foreseeable future to help them rebuild and give back after Gardner benefited from other fans helping Mercedes regain relevance for a season, but plans may change depending on what gets discovered about this scandal in the coming days.