How to protect the UK’s most successful industrial cluster
Ridge motorsport experts Paul Hartle and Ben Willshire discuss whether the UK can maintain pole position as the industry’s expansion continues worldwide
Motorsport Valley is the undisputed nerve centre of global motor racing, and without doubt the UK’s most successful industrial cluster. This slice of the Midlands and southeast England is home to eight out of 11 Formula 1 teams, and a very significant proportion of the motorsport knowledge base, supply chain and workforce.
Engineers have been racing their creations in Motorsport Valley since the Second World War. But its growth has really accelerated over the last 30 years, as Formula 1 has become a highly lucrative global phenomenon, captivating millions of fans worldwide.
As interest surges in emerging markets and new motorsport destinations are born, can the UK retain its pole position?
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8 of 11
Formula 1 teams design and build their cars in Motorsport Valley
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10 of 11
Formula 1 teams have a base in Motorsport Valley
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72%
of F1 Constructors’ Championship titles won by cars built in Motorsport Valley
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69%
of the UK’s motorsport businesses are based in Motorsport Valley
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£16bn
industry, of which two thirds are represented in Motorsport Valley
What’s special about Motorsport Valley?
It’s not just that most F1 teams are headquartered here, it’s the whole ecosystem that has built up around them. That includes major suppliers, start-ups and everything in between, a highly skilled workforce, and the universities and colleges that support R&D and provide a constant supply of graduates and trainees.
This proximity results in fierce competition for talent and closely guarded secrecy, but it’s also the source of innovation and rapid advances: technologies can be designed, manufactured and tested within days rather than weeks or months.
Fundamentally, Motorsport Valley’s success comes down to people. Organisations located outside the cluster struggle to recruit, and remote working just doesn’t get the same results in a hands-on discipline like engineering. That’s why even teams that aren’t based here maintain a presence, and others have invested large sums to bring everyone under the same roof.
It’s about getting the brains together in the same place. Critical mass comes from having the physical infrastructure, but also the intellectual infrastructure too.”
Paul Hartle
Architect, Partner and head of Motorsport Technical Facilities
What could challenge Motorsport Valley’s dominance?
The genesis of Motorsport Valley was the Silverstone circuit. Automotive engineers flocked to this former airfield test their cars, and related companies soon followed.
F1 testing is now strictly limited and takes place at teams’ own facilities rather than on the track, but Silverstone remains a magnet for motorsport companies. Ridge client MEPC has made it the centre of an extensive research and innovation park, which continues to grow.
With a wave of new circuits around the world, what’s to stop those seeding rival clusters?
Right now, the closest parallel is Italy’s Motor Valley in Emilia-Romagna, where world-leading brands including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Dallara and Ducati are concentrated. British-built cars have won the F1 Constructors’ Championship 51 times; Italy has taken the trophy 16 times.
But these hubs coexist rather than compete. Looking to the future, the real challenge will come from the rapid expansion of motor racing across the Middle East and Asia.
The UAE’s Yas Marina has become a strong F1 leisure destination, and Saudi Arabia’s larger Qiddyia is soon to follow – could they become destinations for the industry too?
India is another potential challenger. Until 1990, it didn’t have a single permanent race track – now it’s one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing F1 fanbases. There are race teams in Hyderabad, India’s preeminent tech city, while the Buddh International circuit in Delhi is surrounded by development land. Could either of those become a cluster?
It’s an exciting prospect, but any new clusters are much more likely to complement Motorsport Valley than to supplant it. The UK’s critical mass will be much harder to challenge than it will be to protect, and will only be reinforced by the growth of F1 around the world.
In India, we’ve seen motorsport grow significantly over the last few decades – we’ve designed eight circuits there. Could one of those be the start of India’s Motorsport Valley?”
Ben Willshire
Partner and head of Motorsport Track Design team
Let's talk
Ridge has worked with F1 teams and associated companies for over 30 years, supporting the development of the industry from our office in the heart of Motorsport Valley. Read more.
Paul Hartle is a partner in the architecture team and technical project leader on world-class motorsport facilities.
Contact Paul at phartle@ridge.co.uk
Ben Willshire is a partner and head of motorsport track design.
Contact Ben at benwillshire@ridge.co.uk
Paul, Ben and colleagues will be at Stand 3-43 at the CTS Motorsport Engineering and Technology Show from October 14 to 16 2026, at Silverstone Wing in Towcester.
