Paddy Lowe

Last updated

Paddy Lowe
FREng
Paddy Lowe - Zero Petroleum.jpg
Lowe in 2021
Born
Patrick Allen Lowe

(1962-04-08) 8 April 1962 (age 62)
Nairobi, British Kenya
NationalityBritish
Alma mater Sevenoaks School
Sidney Sussex College
University of Cambridge
Occupation(s)Founder and CEO, Zero; Former Formula One Chief Technical Officer
SpouseAnna Danshina
Children2

Patrick Allen Lowe FREng (born 8 April 1962), known as Paddy Lowe, is the founder and CEO of the fossil-free synthetic fuel company Zero. A former motor racing engineer and computer scientist, he spent 32 years working in Formula One, serving as Chief Technical Officer at Williams Racing, Executive Director (Technical) at Mercedes Formula One team and Technical Director at McLaren. He was involved with cars that won 12 World Championships (7 Drivers', 5 Constructors') and secured 158 race wins. He left Formula One in 2019 and co-founded Zero in 2020.

Contents

Education

Lowe attended Sevenoaks School from 1976 until 1980 and graduated from Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge in 1984 with a degree in Engineering.

Formula One career

Lowe worked in Formula One over four decades. He was involved in cars that won 12 World Championships (7 Drivers and 5 Constructors) and 10 Autosport Racing Car of the Year awards, pioneering innovative systems including active suspension, traction control and driving simulators. He was the Technical Director behind the first 53 wins of Lewis Hamilton's record-breaking career and he led the Mercedes team to 19 wins from 21 races in 2016.

Williams (1987–1993)

In 1987 Lowe was employed by Williams as Joint Head of Electronics. He spent six years at Williams, during which time he oversaw the development of active suspension, used to help Nigel Mansell win the 1992 World Championship. [1]

McLaren (1993–2013)

Lowe moved to McLaren in 1993, when he was employed as Head of Research and Development, a department subsequently renamed Vehicle Technology. [2] He was head of the department for eight years until 2001, when he was appointed Chief Engineer Systems Development, a role focusing on the race programme for the McLaren MP4-20. In May 2005 he assumed the role of Engineering Director, which gave him responsibility for all the engineering departments. [3] In January 2011 Lowe became the team's Technical Director. [4] He left McLaren in 2013.

Mercedes (2013–2017)

Lowe with Mercedes during the 2015 Italian Grand Prix Monza 2015.jpg
Lowe with Mercedes during the 2015 Italian Grand Prix

Lowe moved to the Mercedes Formula One team as Executive Director on 3 June 2013. [5] [6]

In 2015 Lowe was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He and his elder brother Professor Michael Lowe were the first brothers to both be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. [7]

On 10 January 2017, Mercedes announced that Lowe had left the team, and entered a period of garden leave. [8]

Return to Williams (2017–2019)

Lowe returned to Williams as Chief Technical Officer on 16 March 2017. [9] He replaced Pat Symonds, who left the team at the end of 2016. Alongside his technical position, Lowe became a shareholder in the team. [10] The Williams cars under his supervision, FW41 and FW42, turned out to be largely uncompetitive and relegated Williams to the bottom of the Constructors' Championship in 2018 and 2019. On 6 March 2019 it was announced that Lowe would be taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. [11] On 25 June 2019, Lowe left Williams with immediate effect. [12]

Formula One World Championships

Drivers' World Championships

Constructors' World Championships

Zero Synthetic Fuels

Lowe is the co-founder of Zero, a British technology company that develops and manufactures whole-blend synthetic, non-biological, fossil-free fuels – petrol (gasoline), diesel and jet fuel. The process uses just carbon dioxide taken from the air and renewable hydrogen made from water. Lowe calls this process petrosynthesis. Synthetic fuels, which can be made at scale, can be dropped straight into the existing engines of cars, aircraft, commercial and agricultural vehicles, allowing them to run sustainably in exactly the same way and with the same performance as they do on fossil fuels, without the need for any engine modification. They eliminate greenhouse gas accumulation through the creation of a circular carbon cycle, and so eliminate the need for fossil fuels in global industries such as aviation.

Family

Lowe is married to screen actress, Anna Danshina. He has two children from a previous relationship: Noah Kelly and Finty Kelly.

His brother, Michael Lowe, is a British mechanical engineer.

Further reading

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams FW14</span> Formula One racing car

The Williams FW14 is a Formula One car designed by Adrian Newey, used by the Williams team during the 1991 and 1992 Formula One seasons. The car was driven by Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4/8</span> 1993 Formula One racing car by McLaren

The McLaren MP4/8 was the Formula One car with which the McLaren team competed in the 1993 Formula One World Championship. The car was designed by Neil Oatley around advanced electronics technology including a semi-automatic transmission, active suspension, two-way telemetry, and traction control systems, that were developed in conjunction with McLaren shareholder Techniques d'Avant Garde (TAG). It was powered by the 3.5-litre Ford HBD7 V8 engine and was the first McLaren to feature barge boards. The McLaren MP4/8 was also first Ford-powered McLaren car since McLaren MP4/1C in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4-21</span> Formula One racing car designed by Adrian Newey

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams FW18</span> Formula one race car of 1996

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4/10</span> Formula One racing car

The McLaren MP4/10 was the Formula One car with which the McLaren team competed in the 1995 Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Neil Oatley, Steve Nichols, Matthew Jeffreys, David North, David Neilson, Paddy Lowe and Henri Durand with Mario Illien designing the bespoke Ilmor engine. It was driven mainly by Mark Blundell, who started the year without a drive, and Mika Häkkinen, who was in his second full season with the team. The car was also driven by 1992 champion Nigel Mansell, and Jan Magnussen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4-22</span> Formula One Car for 2007 season

The McLaren MP4-22 is a Formula One racing car that was constructed by the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team to compete in the 2007 Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Paddy Lowe, Neil Oatley, Pat Fry, Mike Coughlan and Simon Lacey, with Andy Cowell and Mario Illien designing the bespoke Mercedes-Benz engine. The car was revealed in testing at Circuit de Valencia in Spain on 15 January 2007, and was driven by double World Champion Fernando Alonso and debutant Lewis Hamilton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4-20</span> Formula One racing Car

The McLaren MP4-20 was the car with which the McLaren team competed in the 2005 Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Adrian Newey, Paddy Lowe, Pat Fry, Mike Coughlan and Peter Prodromou with Mario Illien designing the bespoke Ilmor engine. The car was driven by Kimi Räikkönen in his 4th season with the team and Juan Pablo Montoya who moved from Williams. The MP4-20 was the last McLaren car to be powered by Mercedes-Benz under the Ilmor partnership since the 1995 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4-19</span> Formula One racing car

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4-23</span> Formula One racing car for 2008 season

The McLaren MP4-23 was a Formula One racing car that was constructed by the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team to compete in the 2008 Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Paddy Lowe, Neil Oatley, Tim Goss, Andrew Bailey and Simon Lacey, with Mario Illien and Andy Cowell designing the Mercedes-Benz engine. It was revealed at Mercedes-Benz's motor sport museum in Stuttgart on 7 January 2008, and it had its first on-track appearance at Circuito Permanente de Jerez in Spain on 9 January. The car won the 2008 World Drivers' Championship in the hands of Lewis Hamilton, but finished second in the Constructors' Championship, which was won by Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro. The car, along with its rivals during the season, marked the end of an era of complex aerodynamic appendages on the bodywork, which would be banned for 2009. As of 2023, the MP4/23 is the last McLaren Formula One car to win the drivers' championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4-24</span> Formula One racing car for 2009 season

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4-27</span> Formula One car for 2012 season

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren MP4-29</span> Formula One racing car for 2014 season

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid</span> Formula One racing car

The Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid is a Mercedes-Benz Formula One racing car designed and developed under the direction of Paddy Lowe, Aldo Costa, Geoff Willis, Loïc Serra, Russell Cooley, John Owen, Mike Elliott and Jarrod Murphy to compete in the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship. The cars were driven by Nico Rosberg and the reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who remained with the team for a sixth and third season, respectively.

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The Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid is a Formula One racing car which competed in the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship. It is one of the most successful Mercedes-Benz designs of all time, designed and developed under the direction of Paddy Lowe, Aldo Costa, Geoff Willis, Loïc Serra, Russell Cooley, John Owen, Mike Elliott, and Jarrod Murphy. The cars were driven by three-time World Drivers' Champion Lewis Hamilton, and Nico Rosberg, both of whom remained with the team for a fourth and a seventh season, respectively. In addition, it was the last Formula One car driven by Rosberg, following his announcement on his retirement from the sport after clinching his first World Drivers' Championship title.

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References

  1. ↑ "Mercedes AMG F1 - Team Management". mercedesamgf1.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "New McLaren technical team looks back". GrandPrix.com. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  3. ↑ "Team McLaren-Technical Team". mclaren.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  4. ↑ "Lowe becomes McLaren's tech director". autosport.com. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  5. ↑ "Paddy Lowe to join Mercedes early". grandprix.com. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  6. ↑ "'Brawn not threatened by Lowe's arrival'". PlanetF1.com. 29 June 2013. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  7. ↑ Kenwood, Michael. "A formula for success". www.ingenia.org.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "Paddy Lowe to leave Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport". mercedesamgf1.com. 10 January 2017. Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  9. ↑ "Ex-Mercedes F1 chief Paddy Lowe starts work at Williams". 2 May 2017.
  10. ↑ Chuck Penfold. "Paddy Lowe joins Williams as technical director". DW. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  11. ↑ Galloway, James (8 March 2019). "Paddy Lowe takes 'leave of absence' from Williams F1". Sky Sports. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  12. ↑ Benson, Andrew (25 June 2019). "Williams technical chief Paddy Lowe officially leaves team". bbc.com. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
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