Ross Brawn makes rare F1 paddock appearance after motorsport return confirmed

Former Ferrari, Mercedes and Formula 1 chief Ross Brawn was an interested spectator at last weekend’s British Grand Prix, it has emerged.

The Silverstone race saw him return to the paddock for the first time since he announced his return to motorsport in MotoGP.

Ross Brawn spotted at British Grand Prix after MotoGP role confirmed

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

As reported by PlanetF1.com, Brawn joined the board of directors of the Pramac Racing team in May, almost four years after he left his role as managing director (motor sports) and technical director at Formula One Management.

The 71-year-old’s agreement with Pramac has also seen him act as a strategic adviser to team principal Paolo Campinoti.

Brawn’s arrival coincided with a rise in the fortunes of Pramac, which sits at the foot of the MotoGP teams’ standings.

Analysis: British Grand Prix

British GP conclusions: Leclerc’s Hamilton answer, no Russell fear, in defence of FIA

British GP 2026 driver ratings: Hamilton penalty, Verstappen crash, Leclerc’s luck

Having scored just six points at the time of Brawn’s appointment, the Italian team has added 20 in the four races since.

Brawn’s appointment by Pramac saw him become the latest high-profile figure to take an interest in MotoGP after F1 owner Liberty Media completed its takeover of the motorcycling series.

Former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner made the switch to MotoGP last year, leading a consortium that purchased the Tech3 team. Pierre Gasly, the Alpine driver, was also named as one of the investors behind the deal.

Brawn has largely kept his distance from Formula 1 in the years since he stepped down from his role with FOM at the end of 2022.

However, it has emerged that the veteran was in attendance at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix last weekend.

A photograph from Silverstone has revealed that Brawn was on the grid with his wife Jean ahead of the British Grand Prix Sprint race.

Brawn previously attended the 83rd Goodwood Members’ Meeting in April, when he was reunited with 2009 world champion Jenson Button and his title-winning Brawn GP BGP 001 car.

His last direct involvement with Formula 1 is believed to have come in February 2025 when he attended the F1 75 season-launch event in London.

It is unclear when he last attended a grand prix prior to Silverstone.

Brawn stands as one of the most successful figures in F1 history having enjoyed title success with Michael Schumacher at Benetton and Ferrari in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

He went on to join Honda as team principal, remaining with the team after the Japanese manufacturer’s sudden withdrawal to lead the new-look Brawn GP team to title glory with Button in 2009.

Brawn remained in place after the team was purchased by Mercedes at the end of that year before leaving the Brackley-based team at the conclusion of the 2013 season.

The veteran returned to a senior management position following Liberty Media’s takeover of Formula 1 in 2017, playing an instrumental role in the formation of the ground-effect regulations in place between 2022 and 2025.

Brawn’s return to the paddock at Silverstone coincided with Christian Horner making his first paddock appearance since his dramatic Red Bull exit in July 2025.

Horner spent more than 20 years in charge of Red Bull, overseeing the team’s dominant spells with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Why Max Verstappen to McLaren has become impossible to ignore