Norbert Friedrich Haug (born 24 November 1952) is a German journalist and the former vice president of Mercedes-Benz motorsport activity, including

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

Formula 3 Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...

and DTM. Under his direction, Mercedes-Benz enjoyed considerable success in all categories, winning multiple races and championships.

Journalist

Haug worked for the Pforzheimer Zeitung newspaper in his home town of

Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the ...

as a volunteer, before joining them as a trainee journalist. He then moved on to the publishing house Motor-Presse-Verlag in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, which was part of the

Gruner + Jahr Gruner is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Dov Gruner (1912–1947), Jewish Zionist leader * Eduard Gruner, Swiss engineer * Elioth Gruner (1882–1939), Australian painter * Gottlieb Sigmund Gruner (1717–1778), Swiss ca ...

group, where he became head of motorsports for ''

Auto, Motor und Sport ''Auto Motor und Sport'', (stylized in all lowercase) and abbreviated AMS or AMuS, is a German automobile magazine. It is published fortnightly by Motor Presse Netzwerk's subsidiary Motor Presse Stuttgart, a specialist magazine publisher that i ...

'' magazine before becoming its deputy chief editor in 1988. While busy pursuing a career in journalism, Haug also raced cars, including the 24 Hours Nürburgring where he finished second in 1985. He also took part, like many people involved with

, in the Porsche Carrera Cup. In 1986, was given the opportunity to privately test a Williams F1 car.

Mercedes-Benz

Bernd Schneider Norbert Haug Dieter Zetsche 2008 amk

Haug joined Mercedes-Benz in 1990, with a brief to revive their motor sport credentials. Haug maintained Mercedes presence in

Group C Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for Touring car racing, touring cars and ''Group B'' for Grand tourer, GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 (motorspor ...

and later in the DTM and International Touring Car Championship. Early successes included

Klaus Ludwig Klaus Karl Ludwig (born 5 October 1949) is a German racing driver. He had a very successful career winning a total of 118 races. Biography He also known as ''König Ludwig'' (" King Ludwig") for his success in touring cars and in sports car r ...

winning the DTM drivers title in 1992 and 1994, and Bernd Schneider winning both the DTM and ITC drivers titles in 1995. In 2000 Haug and Mercedes were instrumental in the relaunch of

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, commonly abbreviated as the DTM, is a sports car racing series sanctioned by ADAC. The series is based in Germany, with rounds elsewhere in Europe. The series currently races a modified version of Group GT3 gra ...

Formula One

Under Haug's direction, Mercedes-Benz re-entered Formula One after almost 40 years. In 1993 Haug negotiated a partnership with Peter Sauber, with engineering assistance which resulted in

Sauber Sauber Motorsport AG, currently competing in Formula One as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and also known simply as Kick Sauber or Sauber, is a Swiss motorsport engineering company. It was founded in 1970 (as PP Sauber AG) by Peter Sauber, who pro ...

team cars having the words ''Concept by Mercedes-Benz'' on their engine bay flanks. In 1994 Haug negotiated Mercedes-Benz entry to the

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ...

championship, and the Sauber-Mercedes cars were now officially powered by Mercedes-Benz badged engines, developed by the company's development arrangement with

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

based manufacturer

Ilmor Ilmor is a British independent high-performance auto racing, motor racing engineering company. It was founded by Mario Illien and Paul Morgan (engineer), Paul Morgan in November 1983. With manufacturing based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, and ...

. After the serious accident at the

Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix () is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the wo ...

which resulted in injury to Karl Wendlinger, and with Team McLaren looking for a new engine supplier, Haug negotiated Mercedes-Benz partnership with McLaren from the 1995 season. In 2009, it was officially announced that

Daimler AG Mercedes-Benz Group AG (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler, and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive company headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacturers. Daimler-B ...

in partnership with Aabar Investments had purchased a 75.1% stake in

Brawn GP Brawn GP was a Formula One constructor which competed in the 2009 Formula One World Championship, with drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. The team was formed in 2009 by a management buyout led by Ross Brawn of the Honda Racing F1 T ...

(Daimler AG: 45.1%; Aabar: 30%). Under Haug's leadership, the team was rebranded as Mercedes GP for . The team used the Brawn GP base in Brackley for its operations and Brawn stayed on as team principal until the end of the season. On 13 December 2012, it was announced that Haug would leave his role and the company at the end of 2012.

Personal life

Haug is married, with one daughter.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haug, Norbert 1952 births Living people People from Pforzheim German male journalists 20th-century German journalists 21st-century German journalists German motorsport people Formula One people World Sportscar Championship drivers German male writers Mercedes-Benz in Formula One