Daniel Cracknell tragically died in a motorbike crash last November during "one last ride" with his girlfriend, an inquest heard.
Cracknell, 20, who worked for F1 team Williams, collided with a campervan after losing control of his bike on a bend in Oxfordshire. The devastating crash left him with severe brain injuries and he passed away in hospital a week later.
Cracknell joined Williams' team right after leaving school, working as a prototype and test apprentice. Following his death, Williams paid tribute to him at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the team wearing black armbands and flying their flag at half-mast.
Williams driver Alex Albon also had "Dan Cracknell 2002 - 2022" emblazoned on his car for the race. At the inquest into his death, Cracknell's girlfriend Lois, who was riding as his pillion passenger at the time of the crash, said he wanted to take his Suzuki SCV650 bike for "one last ride" before putting it away in storage over the winter.
She said the couple had bonded over their love for motorbikes and she also suffered serious injuries in the crash, getting "flung off into the verge" as the van driver attempted to avoid hitting them. Thames Valley Police concluded that rider error caused Cracknell to lose control of the bike, while coroner Darren Salter recorded 'road traffic collision' as the cause of death.
"We know that he had less than a year's experience but we have also heard that he was a good and careful driver," Salter said. "This was a damp road, and it was on a bend. The motorbike lost its grip and capsized.
"On the balance of probability a combination of the wet road and the speed, leading to a loss of control attributed to rider error and leading to an accident, a tragic accident, resulting in the loss of Dan and injuries to Lois as well."
In a statement, Williams said: "Williams Racing is devastated at the loss of Dan Cracknell, an apprentice from the team who tragically lost his life last weekend at the age of 20 following a road traffic accident. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues at this extremely sad time."
Cracknell's school also paid tribute to him as a "wonderful student who made a great contribution to school life" and someone with a "tremendous sense of humour".
