Ross Brawn's position as Mercedes team principal is not in discussion despite Paddy Lowe's departure from McLaren at the end of the year, Mercedes GP non-executive chairman Niki Lauda said on Monday.

McLaren announced earlier that Tim Goss had taken over as technical director with Lowe, who has been linked in the media as a possible replacement for Brawn, leaving at the end of the year for a "fresh challenge".

"I cannot officially say anything ... McLaren put him on 'gardening leave' so let's wait and see," Lauda, who is also a Mercedes team shareholder, said at a Motorsport magazine Hall of Fame event in London when asked whether Lowe would eventually find his way to Mercedes.