ABOUT

Leo Brough is the Lead Engineer and Founder of Lab Fifty. He has a broad engineering skill set with experience at the highest levels of motorsport, cycling and sailing.

Starting in Formula 1 in 2009 with Red Bull Racing, he worked as an engineer in the suspension and driver interface design group before transitioning to the engine systems group, where his focus shifted to fluid and electronic integration, packaging and wiring.

Taking a temporary sidestep from F1 in 2016, Leo moved to Vancouver, Canada, for three years to engineer carbon and aluminium road, gravel, mountain & urban bikes for Norco Bicycles. This included commissioning an in-house test rig to quantify frame stiffness for handling and compliance characteristics.

Upon returning to the UK, he settled near Oxford and returned to F1 with Mercedes AMG. He first worked in the powertrain integration group, responsible for car cooling projects, before moving into an operations and financial support role implementing the FIA cost cap in 2021. This role evolved into managing a small group concentrated on developing conceptual ideas.

When Mercedes AMG Applied Science partnered with INEOS on the America’s Cup yacht Britannia, Leo shifted back into a pure engineering role, delivering metallic, hydraulic, composite and rig test & validation solutions across the sailing systems of the 75ft foiling carbon monohull yacht. The campaign became the most successful British entry in 90 years.

Seeing a natural break following the conclusion of the America’s Cup in 2024, he took the opportunity to found Lab Fifty to utilise the F1 mindset and provide a highly detailed and holistic approach focused on creating practical, innovative engineering solutions across a wide variety of areas.

Beyond the desk, he has a vast range of advanced hands-on practical skills including: machining, welding, fabrication, hydraulics, composite layup, graphics, assembly, engine rebuild, etc. These have been learnt from a young age and continue to be developed on projects both in and out of the workplace.