Booth and Lowdon to leave Manor

© XPB 

Manor bosses John Booth and Graeme Lowdon have tendered their resignations and are leave the team at the end of the season.

While yet to be officially announced by the team, a senior Manor source confirmed to F1i that both Booth and Lowdon are due to depart following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next month. It is understood the decision has come following differences of opinion with team owner Stephen Fitzpatrick, whose backing helped bring the team out of administration and return it to the grid this season.

Team principal Booth set up Manor Motorsport in 1990, with sporting director Lowdon joining the team a decade later. Having been very successful in junior categories, the pair then entered Formula One in 2010, with the Manor Grand Prix team initially running as Virgin Racing and later Marussia before this year returning to Manor.

Having entered administration after last year's Russian Grand Prix, the team was not expected to return to the grid until a takeover deal from Fitzpatrick - who owns Ovo Energy - was confirmed at the start of this season. Fitzpatrick invested around £30million to help the team rebuild after many of its assets had been auctioned to pay off debts.

While 2015 has seen the team running last year's chassis as well as a year-old Ferrari power unit, Manor is expected to make a big step forward in 2016 having secured a supply of Mercedes power units and entered in to a technical partnership with Williams.

The team is currently 10th in the constructors' championship with a best finish of 12th place so far this season.

AS IT HAPPENED: Mexican Grand Prix FP1

Technical analysis: United States

Scene at the United States Grand Prix

Click here for the F1 drivers' girlfriends gallery

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter