Max Verstappen ally poached by rival F1 team again and this one hurts | F1 | Sport

A long-serving Red Bull veteran and Max Verstappen ally has confirmed his new role at a rival Formula 1 team. Michael Manning was with the team for 15 years, first starting in 2011 when they were the sport’s dominant force as Sebastian Vettel won four consecutive titles, and went on to work closely with Verstappen as he repeated the trick.

Working as the Dutchman’s controls engineer, Manning was largely responsible for the car’s starts – a crucial role in the team. That has only been underlined this season as Red Bull are struggling significantly on that front, with both Verstappen and Isack Hadjar complaining about how difficult it is to get off the line quickly.

Manning has not been working with the team this year, having been placed on gardening leave after communicating his decision to have a fresh start elsewhere. And that period on the sidelines is now over, Manning confirming on social media that he has started a more senior role at Williams.

He wrote: “I’m delighted to share that I’ve begun a new challenge as Atlassian Williams F1 Team’s chief engineer – trackside engineering. Williams’ engineering heritage is among the most storied in Formula 1. With nine constructors’ championships and seven crivers’ titles to its name, it remains one of the sport’s truly iconic teams.

“However, 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.

“Joining at such a significant point in the team’s journey, particularly as we approach Williams’ 50th anniversary, makes this opportunity even more meaningful. It’s a real highlight to be working alongside Carlos [Sainz] and Alex [Albon] again, having crossed paths with both earlier in our careers. I am eager to get started and contribute to the next chapter of this legendary team.”

His absence has been felt as Red Bull continue to struggle with difficult starts – one area in which their strong engines do not excel. Verstappen has been affected, most recently at the last race weekend when he got off to a poor start in the Sprint race, though team-mate Hadjar has been the most vocal of the two about the issue.

The Frenchman, who also got away badly in that Silverstone Sprint race, fumed afterwards: “We can’t get starts, we just don’t understand it. There’s no point going to a race if you know you’re going to lose four places straight away. In my case, I lost even more than that. It’s shocking, all the time.”

Commentating on first practice in Belgium on Friday, David Croft speculated that Manning’s absence could be a contributory factor to their woes. He said: “Michael Manning, who was an engineer at Red Bull who I believe was responsible for the starts, has turned up at Williams with the title of chief engineer of trackside.

“He’s been tending to his garden for much of the season so far. Whether that has had any bearing on some of the starts we’ve seen from Red Bull or not, I don’t know. But Williams have got themselves a very fine member of staff there, to be honest, as they add to their engineering group.”