{"id":803408,"date":"2026-07-16T06:48:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T06:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/803408\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T06:48:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T06:48:13","slug":"former-max-verstappen-ally-returns-to-f1-in-new-announcement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/803408\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Max Verstappen ally returns to F1 in new announcement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael Manning, formerly a key member of Max Verstappen<\/a>\u2019s engineering team at Red Bull<\/a>, has announced the commencement of a new role at Williams.<\/p>\n

Manning has made the move to Williams to take on the title of \u2018Chief Engineer \u2013 Trackside Engineering.\u2019<\/p>\n

Former Max Verstappen ally Michael Manning joins Williams<\/p>\n

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n

Manning \u2013 who was responsible for Verstappen<\/a>\u2019s race starts as his controls engineer \u2013 was regarded as an integral member of Verstappen\u2019s inner circle within the Red Bull team. He played a crucial role in the Dutchman\u2019s title successes.<\/p>\n

Manning joined Red Bull all the way back at the start of 2011. He remained with the Milton Keynes-based squad until last year, but has now taken on a \u201cnew challenge\u201d over in Grove with Williams.<\/p>\n

The move will see Manning re-unite with former Red Bull driver Alex Albon. This is something which Manning addressed when he announced his new role with Williams, via a LinkedIn post.<\/p>\n

Manning is also familiar with Albon\u2019s teammate Carlos Sainz, a former Red Bull-backed driver who previously raced for its junior team Toro Rosso.<\/p>\n

Manning\u2019s post reads: \u201cI\u2019m delighted to share that I\u2019ve begun a new challenge as Atlassian Williams F1 Team\u2019s Chief Engineer \u2013 Trackside Engineering.<\/p>\n

\u201cWilliams\u2019 engineering heritage is among the most storied in Formula 1. With nine Constructors\u2019 Championships and seven Drivers\u2019 titles to its name, it remains one of the sport\u2019s truly iconic teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, it is the ambition for the future that drew me to this role. There is a genuine hunger at Grove to return to the sharp end of the grid, and I am looking forward to ensuring the outstanding work at the factory translates into clinical execution at the circuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoining at such a significant point in the team\u2019s journey, particularly as we approach Williams\u2019 50th anniversary, makes this opportunity even more meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a real highlight to be working alongside Carlos and Alex again, having crossed paths with both earlier in our careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am eager to get started and contribute to the next chapter of this legendary team.\u201d<\/p>\n

More on Max Verstappen from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n

Max Verstappen to McLaren? The [65] million-dollar question<\/a><\/p>\n

Max Verstappen\u2019s blunt Red Bull message after \u2018super dangerous\u2019 Spa warning<\/a><\/p>\n

As Manning alludes to, Williams has plans to challenge at the front of the F1 grid once again, under the vision of team principal James Vowles.<\/p>\n

After a 2025 season of impressive progress, Williams made a shaky start under the new regulations, and is looking to recover ground.<\/p>\n

Sainz\u2019s Williams future has become a talking point in the process.<\/p>\n

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n

Read next: James Vowles issues new update on Carlos Sainz Williams future<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Michael Manning, formerly a key member of Max Verstappen\u2019s engineering team at Red Bull, has announced the commencement…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":746179,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,813,816,85],"class_list":["post-803408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=803408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/746179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=803408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=803408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=803408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}