Departed Manor chiefs John Booth and Graeme Lowdon are tipped to re-fire their racing instincts in the world of endurance sports cars.
Reportedly amid a split with new owner Stephen Fitzpatrick, whose investment saved the former Marussia team last winter, the British duo farewelled the F1 paddock after last weekend’s Abu Dhabi finale.
"Rather than focus on the reasons, I would prefer to focus on the fact that the most important task this year was to make sure that the team continued racing," Lowdon said.
Prodrive chief David Richards, the former BAR and Benetton team boss, ruled out taking over at Manor. "No," he told Britain’s Sky. "I’ve done my stint in formula one."
What Booth and Lowdon will do next is now the subject of speculation, but it is expected that they will reclaim the ’Manor’ name, with a corresponding change for the backmarker team apparently agreed at the recent F1 Commission meeting.
60-year-old Booth, who founded Manor Motorsport in 1990, told Reuters: "I’ve been involved in motor sport since I was 23, so it’s a hard thing just to walk away from, isn’t it?"
And Lowdon, who came into F1 with Booth six years ago thanks to his contacts with former team owner Virgin, hints that the duo are already planning their next steps.
"Maybe time for a new adventure?" he announced on Twitter alongside a photo of himself and Booth at the controls of a plane.
The message also included a reference to ’RealManor’, a new non-F1 Manor Motorsport Twitter account.
dailysportscar.com says their next project could be an LMP2 effort at Le Mans, after Lowdon visited the world endurance championship finale in Bahrain recently.