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Mixed emotions for Lowdon after final Manor race

Graeme Lowdon admits to having “mixed emotions” following the end of his final race with Manor at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Both CEO Lowdon and team principal John Booth are leaving Manor following disagreements with team owner Stephen Fitzpatrick, with Abu Dhabi their last race. Following another two-car finish at Yas Marina, Lowdon told F1i it was a bittersweet moment to know his final grand prix with the team was over having brought Manor in to F1 under the Virgin Racing name in 2010.

“I wouldn't say it’s all over!” Lowdon said. “Yeah, mixed emotions, a sense of achievement that the team is still here, and some very, very fond memories. I’ve met some great people, been racing with some fabulous people and racing teams are all about the people so that’s really probably the strongest memory, the team spirit that we’ve had.

“Time to move on, but definitely mixed emotions.”

Asked what is next for him, Lowdon - who says he wants to stay in F1 - admits he doesn’t have any firm plans yet.

“I really don’t know, I’ve been so focused on just these last few races and everything, running these F1 teams does take a bit of time so I’ve been really focused on that and nothing much else! But I’ve still got fuel in the tank and I’m always looking for a challenge. I’ve learned an awful lot in the last seven years so would be really keen to see what challenges are out there and see what’s available.”

REPORT: Rosberg takes third win in a row to end season

AS IT HAPPENED: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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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.