Overview
- Michael Manning confirmed on Wednesday that he has begun work at Williams as Chief Engineer, Trackside Engineering in a LinkedIn post.
- Manning spent nearly 15 years at Red Bull after joining in January 2011 and left following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, serving most recently as a control engineer in Max Verstappen’s pit group.
- At Red Bull Manning managed race-critical trackside systems including the start procedure and clutch and launch management, roles that directly affect a car’s race starts and on-track performance.
- The move reunites Manning with former Red Bull teammates Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon and comes alongside other senior departures such as Gianpiero Lambiase to McLaren and David Mart to Audi, reflecting rivals' targeted hiring from Red Bull.
- Williams says the hire is intended to turn factory progress into cleaner race execution as the team builds toward its 50th anniversary, and Manning’s arrival could sharpen Williams’ weekend performance while deepening a wider Red Bull staff exodus.