George Ryton is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 engineer

Engineer

An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...

 best known for his involvement in Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

.

Career

Ryton entered the world of F1 when he was hired to work in the Haas Lola

Haas Lola

Team Haas Ltd. was an American Formula One team founded by Carl Haas and Teddy Mayer in 1984, which competed in the World Championship from to . The project was funded by Beatrice Foods and helped the team enter an agreement to use Ford engines for three seasons...

 team's drawing office for . When the team was disbanded, he moved to Reynard

Reynard Motorsport

Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer. Initially based at Bicester and latterly at Reynard Park, Brackley, England the company built successful cars in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and Indy...

 to help design the company's first Formula 3000

Formula 3000

The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter the Formula One championship...

 chassis. Soon afterwards, he moved to the design centre of John Barnard

John Barnard

John Barnard is a race car designer and is currently working alongside Terence Woodgate designing high specification carbon fibre furniture....

, who was Ferrari's

Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....

 Technical Director at the time.

At the end of , Ryton was offered the position of Technical Director of the new EuroBrun

EuroBrun

EuroBrun Racing was a Formula One constructor from Senago, Milan, Italy, with an Italo-Swiss ownership. They participated in 46 grands prix, entering a total of 76 cars....

 team, which was never competitive and withdrew from F1 before the end of the season. Ryton then moved to become Chief Designer at Tyrrell

Tyrrell Racing

The Tyrrell Racing Organisation was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor founded by Ken Tyrrell which started racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970. The team experienced its greatest success in the early 1970s, when it won three drivers' championships and one...

 under Harvey Postlethwaite

Harvey Postlethwaite

Harvey Postlethwaite was a British engineer and Technical Director of several Formula One teams during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He died of a heart attack in Spain while supervising the testing of the abortive Honda F1 project...

 from to , when he was dropped after the team lost its sponsorship deals.

Ryton returned to work for Barnard, who had briefly moved to work for Benetton

Benetton Formula

Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...

 but was now back at Ferrari. On this occasion, Ryton's job was slightly different, as he was put in charge of the team's drawing office at its Maranello

Maranello

Maranello is a town and comune in the region of Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy, 18 km from Modena, with a population of 16,841 as of 2009. It is best known as the home of Ferrari S.p.A. and the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One racing team...

 base. He remained in this position until mid-, when he accepted the position of Technical Director at the small Forti

Forti

Forti Corse, commonly known as Forti, was an Italian motor racing team chiefly known for its brief, and unsuccessful, involvement in Formula One in the mid-1990s. It was established in the late 1970s and competed in lower formulae for two decades...

 team.

After working on the FG03

Forti FG03

The Forti FG03 was the car with which the Forti team competed in part of the Formula One season. It was driven by Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini, both of whom were in their first year with the team....

 chassis, Ryton was left without a job when the team folded mid-season. However, he was soon appointed Head of Research and Development

Research and development

The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...

 at the Ligier team, which was bought by former F1 champion Alain Prost

Alain Prost

Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix...

 soon afterwards and took his name. In , the Prost AP01

Prost AP01

The Prost AP01 was the car with which the Prost Formula One team used to compete in the 1998 Formula One season. It was driven by Olivier Panis, who was in his fifth season with the team , and Jarno Trulli, who was in his first full season with the team after deputising for the injured Panis in...

's unreliable and heavy gearbox saw him fall from favour and he moved to Minardi

Minardi

Minardi was an automobile racing team and constructor founded in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following of fans...

.

Ryton stayed at Minardi until the season-ending Japanese Grand Prix

2003 Japanese Grand Prix

The 2003 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 12, 2003 at the Suzuka Circuit.At this race Michael Schumacher won his 6th World Championship, breaking Juan Manuel Fangio's record set in the 1950s...

 in , firstly as Chief Designer but latterly as a design consultant.

Having left F1, Ryton now works as an independent consultant in Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

.