Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsManor

Former McLaren man Ryan named Manor racing director

©Manor Grand Prix Racing Ltd

Former McLaren sporting director Dave Ryan has been named as Manor's new racing director with immediate effect.

Ryan has 34 years of F1 experience but has not worked in the sport since 2009 when he left McLaren as a result of Lewis Hamilton's disqualification from that year's Australian Grand Prix. However, Ryan will return with Manor in the newly-created position of racing director, with the team undergoing a management overhaul as John Booth and Graeme Lowdon have resigned.

“I’m delighted to announce Dave’s appointment in the newly created position of Racing Director," Manor owner Stephen Fitzpatrick said. "He needs no introduction, of course, having spent 34 years within the sport contributing to an incredible tally of race and championship wins.

“Along with our new Mercedes Benz power unit, technical partnership with Williams and recent additions to the design and technical team, Dave's arrival is another important step towards our goal of creating a truly competitive racing team.

Lowdon confirms Manor departure

“I am also able to confirm that John Booth and Graeme Lowdon will be leaving the team at the end of the current season. I have the utmost respect for them as individuals and for all they have achieved, both with this team and in their long careers in motorsport, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their hard work and dedication during this season in particular. Like every great story, there comes a time to start a new chapter.”

In the role, Manor says Ryan "will oversee race team operations during an exciting period of development" as it switches to Mercedes power in 2016, and Ryan himself says he is looking forward to the challenge.

“I’m very excited to be joining the Manor Marussia F1 Team at a pivotal time in their development," Ryan said. "Having spent time with Stephen, and understood his vision for the future, it is clear he has ensured there is a strong platform from which the team can make big steps forward in the seasons ahead.

"Manor has all the hallmarks of a fiercely competitive racing team, but having grown up in a much more contemporary Formula 1 era, it is a very lean operation with a collaborative culture, which leaves it well placed to contend with the sport’s future direction. There is clearly a big challenge ahead and a lot of work to do, but I can’t wait to meet the wider team and get down to business.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.