Tombazis joins Manor as Chief Aerodynamicist

Manor have announced the appointment of Nikolas Tombazis, hiring him as their new Chief Aerodynamicist. Tombazis brings with him a vast amount of experience, built up in Formula One since 1992.

Tombazis was Aerodynamicist at Benetton in 1992, before progressing to Chief Aerodynamicist the next year. He later fulfulled similar managerial roles at McLaren and Ferrari before departing Maranello after a nine-year spell as Chief Designer.

The Greek starts at Manor with immediate effect and under the leadership of Technical Director John McQuilliam.

"I am delighted to announce Nikolas in the position of Chief Aerodynamicist," said McQuilliam. "I believe this appointment will help to amplify the efforts of a very talented design team that, in recent years, has not had the opportunity to showcase the full extent of their experience and capabilities. I am confident that, together with our new Mercedes power unit and Williams gearbox and technical partnership, our new aero structure will provide us with the strength to design and develop consistently competitive racing cars to help steer us towards our long-term ambitions."

"I am very happy to be joining the Manor F1 Team at this exciting time in its development," added Tombazis. "The team has impressive plans and is investing in all the right areas to achieve its on-track ambitions, so I am very much looking forward to being part of that journey. The existing design team is already very strong and I look forward to working with a great group of people to make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead to help us progress through the field over the next few seasons."

Manor has been hiring and investing recently in an attempt to get off the last places on the grid, including a switch to Mercedes power units and a technical partnership with Williams.