Ian Wright

Ian Wright is a British retired Formula One and motorsport engineer. He is best known for holding senior engineering positions at Sauber Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Brawn GP and Honda Racing F1.

Career Wright studied physics at the University of Nottingham, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1985. He began his engineering career in the aerospace and defence sector, working as a systems engineer and later as a flight-test engineer at EASAMS on radar programmes contracted to Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm in Germany. In 1990 he joined the McLaren Group as an R&D engineer, where he played a key role in introducing vehicle-performance simulation tools to the team. He led the development of analytical methods and competitor-comparison techniques that reshaped McLaren’s approach to performance analysis during the late 1990s, contributing to the team’s competitiveness and its 1998 World Championship success. When the organisation became Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Wright transitioned to Head of Engineering Software, where he led development of analytical toolsets used to guide car development and performance decision-making, contributing to the foundations of Mercedes’ championship-winning era from 2014 onward. His role subsequently evolved into Head of Vehicle Science, where he oversaw development of the team’s first driver-in-the-loop simulator capability.

Since 2021 Wright has stepped back from full-time motorsport and works part-time as an engineering consultant and running engineering education programmes.