Mercedes GP have confirmed the appointment of Bob Bell today, signing up the former Renault chief as Technical Director.

Bell has plenty of Formula One experience to bring to his new team, having worked his way up from an aerodynamicist role. He's been involved with several teams, including McLaren and Benetton. He even spent a bit of time at Jordan, the yellow team, before moving to Renault, who turned into a yellow team. Now he brings his expertise to Mercedes, although hopefully the yellow won't follow him.

It will be a privilege to be a part of such a strong and determined organisation, and to be able to contribute to furthering the enviable heritage of Mercedes-Benz in motorsport.

- Bob Bell

Bell was an important part of the Renault team, joining them as deputy technical director in 2001. He worked his way up, through both Alonso's championship winning years, and was on hand to step in as acting team principal when Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds left under acrimonious circumstances. With the Genii Capital takeover and reshuffle of Renault, Bell was left without a role.

At Mercedes, he has quite a task ahead of him. The team have the potential for good things, but struggled to capitalise on it in 2010. Team Principal Ross Brawn thinks the future looks bright, though:

Bob’s appointment is a key step in the strengthening of our excellent technical team and we are pleased to have recruited one of the most experienced engineers in the sport. Bob will be an important asset to our team, bringing with him a wealth of Formula One knowledge and championship-winning experience.

- Ross Brawn

Mercedes are bringing together all the elements they need to promote themselves further up the grid, and it is just a matter of weeks now before we find out if they can achieve their goals.