|CEO & Founder - Driven By Us|
|Principal Systems Engineer|
|Advisory Board Member|
About
James Dornor is a British born award winning systems engineer of Ghanaian heritage , known for his work in Formula 1, high-performance automotive engineering, and his contributions to increasing diversity within the sector.
Over a decade-long career, he has worked with leading manufacturers such as BMW, McLaren Automotive, GT & F1, Haas F1, and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.
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James Dornor was born in 1988 in Harrow, North West London, to parents of Ghanaian heritage. Born prematurely at 24 weeks, he spent his early months in the neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) recovering from various health complications.
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His father passed away when James was just six years old, leading the family to move frequently between council houses before finally settling in 2000.
From a young age, James developed a strong sense of responsibility, helping his mother with multiple jobs after school as they struggled financially. Despite facing academic challenges, he remained determined to succeed, understanding that success required perseverance.
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James’s journey into the automotive industry began in 2009 with a one-year industrial placement at BMW Mini Oxford after enduring 50 rejections. As a reliability engineer, he was responsible for identifying and reporting faults on internal and external vehicles, marking his first major role in the field. This experience laid the foundation for his technical expertise and resilience, setting him on a path toward high-performance engineering.
In 2010, he secured a work experience opportunity at McLaren, which led to a permanent role as a vehicle engineer in 2011. Over the next several years, Dornor played a key role in software updates and performance enhancements for McLaren’s high-profile models, including the 12C, 12C Spider, 650S, and P1.His expertise extended into motorsport when he joined McLaren GT in 2012 as a Customer Support Engineer for GT3 racing cars, later becoming the Lead Development Engineer on the 12C GT Sprint and 570 GT4 projects.
In 2017, Dornor transitioned to Formula 1, joining Haas F1 Team as a Trackside Electronics Engineer before returning to McLaren F1 in 2018. As a Systems Support Engineer, he contributed to mission control operations and trackside system development, working with future talents like Lando Norris.
In 2020, he moved to Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, overseeing electronics systems within the Heritage division and providing race support for legendary drivers, including Sir Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, and Valtteri Bottas.
Expanding his impact beyond engineering, Dornor co-founded Driven By Us (DBU) in 2023, a community-driven initiative dedicated to increasing diversity in motorsport and automotive industries. DBU became the first ethnically-led organisation recognised by Motorsport UK, reflecting its commitment to fostering inclusive opportunities through STEM, media programmes, and industry events.
With a career spanning top-tier automotive and motorsport brands, Dornor continues to shape the future of engineering and accessibility in the industry.
James' Career
April 2020 - March 2023
Electronics Support Engineer - Heritage @ Mercedes AMG
Responsible for maintaining all electronics and car systems on a range of Mercedes AMG F1 cars once they've entered retirement. Monitoring the health of the on-car electronics, controls and hydraulic systems while running and any post-analysis. Supporting young driver test events when required and assisting in factory chassis strips and installing heritage harnessing on chassis as technician and other heritage builds.
January 2018 - March 2020
Systems Support Engineer - McLaren Racing Ltd
Responsibility for factory & test car preparation of systems on F1 car before hand-over to race trackside team and for final software configuration and legality for running of the F1 car at test and race events in preparation at the factory. During race weekends support from mission control on race events. Finally assisting with additional logging preparation and fitment to Race and Test cars
October 2017 -January 2018
Systems Engineer - Haas F1
Responsibility for final software configuration and legality for running of the F1 car at test and race event at the track, configuring gearbox and chassis systems for optimal performance, liaising with race/performance engineers at the track and factory as necessary. Keen eye for fault diagnosis under pressure, of advanced control system issues using telemetry data including powertrain, hydraulics, fuel system etc. Identification, development and implementation of new control systems strategies to improve and exploit the performance of the race car, including race start with controls engineer.
November 2012 -October 2017
GT3 / GT4 Customer Support Engineer - McLaren GT
GT3 Customer Support Engineer – As customer support engineer for McLaren GT, this involves significant travelling around the world. The role requires accurate interpretation of engine data, detailed knowledge of embedded strategies that control the GT3 car, lead customer teams in resolution of technical issues on race weekends. The support role requires me to have an excellent understanding of embedded systems that control GT3 car which includes details knowledge and usage of ATLAS and System Monitor systems. Making adjustments to calibration parameters and control strategies to optimise performance alongside analysis and interpretation. Working and communicating effectively with the team manager and race engineer obtaining feedback from drivers to ensure best possible solutions.
GT4 – Systems Engineer – Responsible for vehicle performance and system architecture on GT4 race cars including engine system management on pre, during & post-race. Completing performance analysis of manufacture car and competitor cars throughout an event, also working on race strategy with race engineer. Maintaining systems engineer on test cars throughout the year to improve systems and engine performance. Known all CAN systems on GT4 cars, detailed knowledge of wiring diagrams across all models and problem resolution.
