23/11/1954
Record updated
Ross Brawn is the technical director of Scuderia Ferrari, the Ferrari company's Formula One constructor. His biggest role is often percieved to be planning and executing the team's race strategies, which have often allowed Michael Schumacher to take surprising wins.
Brawn was born November 23, 1954 in Manchester, England. In the early 1970s, Brawn was taken on as a trainee by the British Atomic Energy Research Establishment near Oxfordshire, where he studied instrumentation. In 1976, he joined March Engineering in the town of Bicester as a milling machine operator; soon thereafter, he joined their Formula 3 racing team as a mechanic. Brawn was hired by Sir Frank Williams in 1978 as a machinist for the newly-formed Williams F1 team. He quickly moved up through the ranks, working in the R&D department and as an aerodynamicist in the team's wind tunnel.
After brief stints with the now-defunct FORCE/Beatrice and Arrows Formula 1 teams, Brawn's efforts caught the attention of Jaguar, which hired Brawn in 1989. He began work in their sportscar racing division, bringing as much F1 technological experience as he could, and succeeded in designing the cars which won the 1991 Sportscar World Championship. Later that year, Brawn became the technical director of the Benetton Formula 1 team, helping them win back-to-back world driver championships in 1994 and 1995 with Michael Schumacher at the helm.
Ross Brawn followed Schumacher to the Ferrari F1 team in 1996. After a few "rebuilding" years, he (as Ferrari technical director) helped Ferrari regain glory in 1999 by winning the F1 constructor title (the first of six consecutive titles) as well as five consecutive drivers titles for Schumacher, beginning in 2000. Their unprecedented string of uninterrupted titles has led many to label Brawn as a vital member of the Ferrari "dream team": Brawn himself, Schumacher, team principle Jean Todt and chief designer Rory Byrne.
Brawn, married to Jean, has 2 daughters, Helen and Amy. They live in Henley-on-Thames, although Brawn (understandably) spends much of his on-season time near the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, fishing, and listening to music.
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