Ross Brawn was seen again in the Formula 1 paddock during the English GP weekend, marking his first appearance at a race weekend in the category since confirming his return to motorsport in a new role. The presence of the former executive drew attention at Silverstone just months after taking on a strategic position in MotoGP.
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The 71-year-old veteran joined the board of directors of Pramac Racing in MotoGP in May, almost four years after leaving his roles as motorsport managing director and technical director of Formula One Management (FOM). In addition to the new position, he also acts as a strategic advisor to the team principal, Paolo Campinoti.
Brawn’s arrival coincided with an improvement in Pramac’s performance. The Italian team was in last place among the teams and had only six points when the Briton started his work. In the next four rounds, the team scored twenty more points, starting a recovery in the season.
His entry into Pramac also strengthened the connection between the worlds of Formula 1 and MotoGP after the completion of the acquisition of the motorcycle racing category by Liberty Media. Another well-known name from the F1 paddock who migrated to MotoGP was Guenther Steiner, former Haas team principal, who led a consortium responsible for the purchase of Tech3. Alpine driver Pierre Gasly was also announced as one of the investors in the project.
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Since leaving FOM at the end of 2022, Brawn has kept his distance from Formula 1 activities. Still, images recorded at Silverstone showed the Briton alongside his wife, Jean, on the grid before the Sprint race held on Saturday of the English GP.
Before this visit, his most recent participation in a motorsport-related event had occurred in April, during the 83rd Goodwood Members’ Meeting. On that occasion, he reunited with Jenson Button and the Brawn GP BGP 001, the car with which they won the 2009 world title when Brawn was the team principal. His last direct participation in an official Formula 1 commitment was at the launch of the F1 75 season, held in London in February 2025.
Considered one of the most successful executives in the history of the category, Brawn participated in Michael Schumacher’s winning campaigns at Benetton and Ferrari before leading Brawn GP to the title with Button in 2009. He subsequently remained with the team after its acquisition by Mercedes, and upon returning to Formula 1 management in 2017 at FOM, played an important role in creating the ground effect regulations used between 2022 and 2025. His presence at Silverstone coincided with another notable appearance in the paddock, that of Christian Horner, who returned to the category environment for the first time since leaving Red Bull Racing in July 2025.
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