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Lowdon confirms Marussia departure

13 Nov 2015

Marussia sporting director Graeme Lowdon has confirmed that he will part ways with the team after the 2015 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Lowdon, who was instrumental in resurrecting the team following their financial issues in the latter stages of the 2014 campaign, said he would leave the team knowing he had helped give them a more stable platform to continue racing.

"Abu Dhabi is going to be my last race with the team,” he told reporters in Brazil. 

“Rather than focus on the reasons why, I prefer to focus on the fact the most important task this year was to make sure that the team continued racing. That required a lot of hard work and a lot of commitment as well. 

“My belief in the team at that stage never wavered once, and we worked very hard to make sure the team was in a position to continue."

Lowdon also thanked those who had aided his efforts to keep Marussia afloat, adding: “[Though] November, December, January, we received a lot of help from [F1 boss] Bernie Ecclestone in particular, also from Jean Todt.

"I have to say everybody involved in the governance side and commercial rights side were constructive during the whole period and the team wouldn't have survived without that input.

"Also from Ferrari, who were really instrumental not just in the team being able to survive with the engine deal at short notice but also from very first race, the commitment from James Allison in particular.

"He had a very public task at Ferrari, to ensure the team was in a good position. From our point of view, as a customer team, we received some pivotal support from him.

"And of course the staff at the team. We had to get the team back together very quickly. That wouldn't have happened had we not been able to attract a lot of the same faces back who were with the team in previous years.

"That was extremely important as well. A lot of things had to come together. This has been a pretty difficult season but that is secondary to the fact the team continues and that is the most important thing."