Pat Fry
Pat Fry | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 17, 1964 Shepperton, Surrey, England |
| Occupation | Motorsport engineer |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Known for | Formula One engineering roles at Benetton, McLaren, Ferrari, Manor Racing, Renault/Alpine, Williams |
Pat Fry (born 17 March 1964) is a British engineer specializing in motorsports, widely recognized for his extensive involvement in Formula One. Throughout his career, he has occupied significant positions at teams including Benetton, McLaren, Ferrari, Manor Racing, and Renault/Alpine. As of 2023, Fry holds the position of chief technical officer at Williams Grand Prix Engineering.
Early career
Originating from Shepperton, Surrey, Fry commenced his engineering journey in 1981 as an apprentice with Thorn EMI, while completing his studies in electronics at the City of London Polytechnic. After contributing to missile projects, he departed Thorn EMI in 1987 to dedicate himself to motorsport engineering.
Benetton (1987–1993)
Fry began working with Benetton’s research and development division located in Witney, Oxfordshire, concentrating on active suspension technology. Over time, he advanced from roles within the test team to becoming the race engineer for Martin Brundle in .
McLaren (1993–2010)
In , Fry transitioned to McLaren where he initially focused on active suspension systems and led the test team. Following the prohibition of active suspension before the 1994 season, he shifted into race engineering duties. He served as race engineer for Mika Häkkinen during , then returned to the test team in . From , Fry took on the role of David Coulthard’s race engineer for four years before moving into a strategic coordination position overseeing both race cars in . Elevated to chief engineer of race development in 2002, he played a key role in designing competitive chassis such as the MP4-20 and MP4-22. Fry departed McLaren on 14 May 2010.
Ferrari (2010–2014)
Fry joined Ferrari on 22 June 2010 as assistant technical director, effective from 1 July. On 4 January 2011, he replaced Chris Dyer as head of race track engineering while maintaining his assistant technical director responsibilities under Aldo Costa. This change followed a strategic misstep during the final race of the season that cost Fernando Alonso a championship opportunity. On 24 May 2011, with Costa moving to an unspecified role, Fry was appointed director of chassis as the technical director position was eliminated. Alongside production director Corrado Lanzone and electronics director Luca Marmorini, Fry reported directly to team principal Stefano Domenicali, who informally assumed technical director duties.
On 23 July 2013, Ferrari announced that Lotus technical director James Allison would take over chassis technical director responsibilities starting 1 September; Fry transitioned into a newly created director of engineering role reporting directly to Domenicali alongside Allison and chief designer Nikolas Tombazis. A restructuring announced by Ferrari on 16 December 2014 led to Fry’s exit from the organization.
Manor Racing (2016–2017)
Fry joined Manor Racing as an engineering consultant in January 2016.
McLaren (2018–2019)
On 4 September 2018, McLaren revealed that Fry would return temporarily as engineering director while awaiting the arrival of full-time technical director James Key from Toro Rosso. During this period, Fry oversaw development of the 2019 car, the McLaren MCL34. In July 2019, after completing his duties, Fry commenced gardening leave.
Renault/Alpine (2020–2023)
On 2 November 2019, the Renault F1 Team announced that Fry would join their ranks for the 2020 season. The team underwent a rebranding to become the Alpine F1 Team in . Prior to this change, Fry was promoted to chief technical officer, tasked with managing all technical activities, establishing performance objectives, and spearheading advancements in car technology.
Williams (2024–present)
During the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, it was revealed that Fry would depart Alpine to assume the role of chief technical officer at Williams beginning in 2024.
Personal life
Fry wed Kate Habershon, a food editor and stylist with motorsport catering expertise, on 20 April 2002.