The Manor Marussia F1 Team looks set to undergo a major restructure following news that founders Graeme Lowdon and John Booth have resigned from their posts.
Whilst they won’t depart until the final race of the season, one senior member of staff, Bob Bell, has already left his position as technical consultant.
Bell played a key role in negotiating with Mercedes to secure a supply of power units for the 2016 season and with Williams for a gearbox deal, putting Manor in a prime position to break into the midfield next year.
However he too has resigned, leaving the team last week. It’s believed Bell will return to Renault – currently Lotus – to head up the technical department once the French manufacturer has completed its takeover.
Bell previously worked with Mercedes, but prior to that he was technical director at Renault F1 during their championship winning years of 2005 and 2006.
Whilst news of Renault’s takeover of Lotus has gone quiet, it’s believed work is continuing behind the scenes at a steady pace, with final confirmation on the deal expected in late-November.
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