Lauda re-thinking Mercedes’ Christmas holiday plans

Niki Lauda is looking to tweak the Christmas holiday plans of team staff, as he bids to get Mercedes up to speed for 2013.

Germany’s Bild newspaper said that, since the triple world champion started his new job as Mercedes’ non-executive chairman, he often "arrives unannounced" at the team’s Brackley headquarters.

The report said Lauda, 63, has concluded that "the communication between the departments of the factory is in great need of improvement".

Bild claimed that great Austrian Lauda has also been studying the vacation plans of Brackley’s 450 staff, with many to be completely absent in December and January.

"Understandable after a long season," said Bild. "But that is when ideas for the new car are needed."

Lauda told Welt am Sonntag newspaper: "I am in England very often; right now just to analyse things.

"It is interesting that Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg were always in the top five at the beginning of the year, and we won in Shanghai.

"Everything was on track until suddenly it was completely backwards. Together with Ross Brawn we have to ensure that never happens again."

He also confirmed that Christmas will not be a period for quiet reflection.

"When everyone else is on vacation, I will use the time to do everything to bring Mercedes to the front again — because that’s where we belong," said Lauda.