377 replies to this topic

[Mika Mika]

http://www.autosport...rt.php/id/72034

Here we go!!!

[Youichi]

Kolles and Gascoinge sacked too !

http://www.crash.net...a_shake-up.html

[fnz]

i hope it helps Force India making up some ground to the other teams

[Ploert]

FORCE INDIA UNVEILS NEW MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE



Following on from today's announcement regarding the amicable termination of the Ferrari contract, the Force India Formula One Team has taken yet another step forward with its 2009 revamp plans.



Force India's senior management structure will be streamlined with immediate effect. Dr Vijay Mallya will assume the responsibilities of Team Principal in addition to his position as Chairman, to play a greater role in the direction of the team, assisted by Robert Fernley, Director of Force India. In a reorganisation of the team's technical department, Mark Smith, design director, and James Key, technical director, will share entire responsibility for the design of the VJM02 and future cars.



As a result of the restructure, Colin Kolles, Mike Gascoyne and Patrick Missling, formerly corporate and business director, will no longer form a direct part of the team's design, manufacture, race and test operations.



Dr Vijay Mallya commented, 'Force India is my most difficult project to date and it has become clear that it requires more direct input from my side and greater performance accountability. We have come a long way this season, but we need more and that requires some radical reorganisation of the management structure to ensure the maximum productivity. I would like to thank Colin Kolles for his tireless efforts in keeping such a small team alive and to Mike Gascoyne for bringing his wealth of technical expertise. Both have played an instrumental part in making the team what it is today. On Monday November 10th,I will announce the new Technical direction of the team as well as the appointment of a new Chief Operating Officer who will assume overall responsibility for our Silverstone and Brackley facilities, Race and Test operations."

[Mika Mika]

Originally posted by Youichi
Kolles and Gascoinge sacked too !

http://www.crash.net...a_shake-up.html

INTRESTING... 100% McLaren coustomer car/B car then???

[AFCA]

It's all coming together as expected now...

I'm not sure firing Gascoyne is such a good thing though...

[Mika Mika]

Originally posted by AFCA
It's all coming together as expected now...

I'm not sure firing Gascoyne is such a good thing though...

I dunno he was on an enormous paycheck IIRC.. And if they get a lot more of the McMrec than people think then whats the point of a Chief designer...

[johnap]

Kolles has claimed that he'll be running something Audi engined in LMS next year.

Unless they are getting a customer car from McLaren then getting rid of Gascoyne seems like a bad idea.

[barteks]

Will they get complete chassis for next year from McLaren?

[Mika Mika]

Originally posted by barteks
Will they get complete chassis for next year from McLaren?

I actually hope they do... Good seeing Torro Rosso Up front this year...

[Atreiu]

That's the way to go.
KERS, slicks and the new aerodynamics all at once are just too much for a big team to tackle alone, nevertheless a small one. I hope it pays dividends both ways.

[drunkmunky]

I've had a feeling that gascoyne wasn't... I duno... as good as some others would say.

[AFCA]

Originally posted by barteks
Will they get complete chassis for next year from McLaren?

No but the entire rear end is likely (rearsuspension included). Plus they're to have the same suppliers of parts of things like the brake ducts and so on...

[noikeee]

Funny way to go, for a team that got money from threatening to sue other teams for being "customers".

A level further in the scale of hypocrisy compared to the team that was a full customer car team in the 70s.

I do understand this is all business though.

[Rob]

Does this imply that FOTA have agreed terms with the FIA for customer cars in '09 and beyond?

[noikeee]

Originally posted by Rob
Does this imply that FOTA have agreed terms with the FIA for customer cars in '09 and beyond?

Good question. I thought Toro Rosso was forced to build their own car from 2010 ahead, what happened to that?

[AFCA]

Originally posted by Rob
Does this imply that FOTA have agreed terms with the FIA for customer cars in '09 and beyond?

Getting the drive train supplied (with KERS and possibly the rearsuspensions as well) isn't the same as getting someone else's chassis. The FIA has given the green light for a contract between teams like that. Force India won't be getting an MP4-24 chassis, they'll have to be responsable for that themselves, just like for the aerodynamics.

In 2010 customer cars will be banned, STR isn't taking on more and more people and increasing infrastructure for nothing.

[Rob]

Originally posted by paranoik0


Good question. I thought Toro Rosso was forced to build their own car from 2010 ahead, what happened to that?

I just get the feeling that Force India wouldn't have entered into this unless they were certain that they'd be legal for the immediate future. Don't know about Toro Rosso.

[potmotr]

Why does this kind of thing keep happening to Mike Gascoyne?

[Mika Mika]

Originally posted by potmotr
Why does this kind of thing keep happening to Mike Gascoyne?

Well....

[Thanatos]

Originally posted by potmotr
Why does this kind of thing keep happening to Mike Gascoyne?

Because, as much I admire is honest attitude - he is crap (in the current technical climate) at what he does and is still riding on the wave of past glory.

Didn't do anything for Toyota and again hasn't done anything for Force India

[BMW_F1]

Originally posted by johnap
Kolles has claimed that he'll be running something Audi engined in LMS next year.

Unless they are getting a customer car from McLaren then getting rid of Gascoyne seems like a bad idea.

why... ?
with all the money Toyota had he couldn't built a winning car..

[Lifew12]

Originally posted by AFCA
[B]

Force India won't be getting an MP4-24 chassis,

I think you may be surprised, AFCA. Much is going on behind the scenes to make sure a Mclaren chassis is precisely what they get.

In 2010 customer cars will be banned,

As things stand now, that's the case, Again, however, I think you'll be surprised - allowing customer cars fits very nicely with the fIA, and the teams', cost cutting agenda. A lot can change between now and 2010.

[rodlamas]

Originally posted by Lifew12


I think you may be surprised, AFCA. Much is going on behind the scenes to make sure a Mclaren chassis is precisely what they get.

But if that was the real case, wouldn't mclaren like to have one of their development program dirvers on it?

By the way, is Williams keeping the Toyota engines?

Didn't Haug say that they were ready to supply engines for 3 teams?

[Mika Mika]

Originally posted by rodlamas


But if that was the real case, wouldn't mclaren like to have one of their development program dirvers on it?

By the way, is Williams keeping the Toyota engines?

Didn't Haug say that they were ready to supply engines for 3 teams?

id imagine Prodrive being the third if the FIA goes back on on its customer car rules.

[Hyatt]

Originally posted by Mika Mika


id imagine Prodrive being the third if the FIA goes back on on its customer car rules.

i'd think that experiment failed ... when was there the latest sign of live from prodrive?

[no-clue]

I'd imagine if McL were giving intellectual property to Force India that's relevant to this year's winning chassis, a condition of the deal would be that a perceived mercenary like MikeyG wouldn't get his eyes on all that info....and anyway if you've got all that info coming through you just want a bunch of engineers to give it a Force India stylistic touch in the windtunnel, so you've got a redundant technical chief. Get rid and save a nice few pounds and spend it on parties in Monaco, Valencia, etc etc... (can't imagine that floating gin palace of Vijay is the most economical thing to steam around the world...)

[AFCA]

Originally posted by Hyatt


i'd think that experiment failed ... when was there the latest sign of live from prodrive?

From the 10th of September:

Originally posted by AFCA
A Prodrive spokesperson on the situation of the company: ''As is known, we were completely ready this year to compete in Formula 1 with McLaren customer cars, up until legal steps were taken against our participation and the staying out of a new Concorde Agreement spoiled our plans. That's why we were not able to take our place on the 2008 grid in time.''

''Now I have to say that I do not exactly know what the procedure of the FIA is in this situation. I believe that our right to participate in F1 expired when we didn't appear at the start in Melbourne.''

''Nevertheless, Prodrive still has the ambition to enter Formula 1, but we're absolutely not thinking about stepping into the sport as long as the regulations don't permit us to be competitive without spending too much money, for example by the use of the customer cars.''

[Hyatt]

Originally posted by AFCA


From the 10th of September:

merci!

[Mika Mika]

I wander if the tech collaboration is 2 ways i know that the McMerc is much better than the Force Indi' but there might be something of interest on there, even if it only helps just 1%. Also the FI will know a lot about the Ferrari engine....

[AFCA]

Originally posted by Mika Mika
I wander if the tech collaboration is 2 ways i know that the McMerc is much better than the Force Indi' but there might be something of interest on there, even if it only helps just 1%. Also the FI will know a lot about the Ferrari engine....

A number of McLaren engineers will move to Silverstone being in charge of certain technical aspects trying to help out Force India and make the cooperation as good as possible. I'm afraid that in terms of technology the small team will have very little to offer to McLaren... But surely the Woking based team will be very pleased to see a car being comprised of half of their stuff doing its laps. I don't know how early this is going to happen but I think in February.

[whatto999]

I was wondering why Ferrari was unable to do that...

[Mika Mika]

Originally posted by AFCA


A number of McLaren engineers will move to Silverstone being in charge of certain technical aspects trying to help out Force India and make the cooperation as good as possible. I'm afraid that in terms of technology the small team will have very little to offer to McLaren... But surely the Woking based team will be very pleased to see a car being comprised of half of their stuff doing its laps. I don't know how early this is going to happen but I think in February.

No I know the McMerc is clearly leagues better however there might be just 1 or 2 small ideas that the FI have that might help the McMerc...

[AFCA]

Originally posted by whatto999
I was wondering why Ferrari was unable to do that...

This year 9 Ferrari technicians cared about STR - 6 for the GP's and 3 for the tests. I reckon a same amount of engineers cared about Force India this year.

But supplying just the engine is something different to supplying the gearbox and KERS (and perhaps the rearsuspension) as well...

Originally posted by Mika Mika


No I know the McMerc is clearly leagues better however there might be just 1 or 2 small ideas that the FI have that might help the McMerc...

Yeah, you never know.

[Mika Mika]

Originally posted by AFCA

Yeah, you never know.

I like to think the guys at the back (dow the honest end of the grid) find all sorts of clever trick to keep up with the big boys!!!

[RodrigoL]

Originally posted by Mika Mika


No I know the McMerc is clearly leagues better however there might be just 1 or 2 small ideas that the FI have that might help the McMerc...

Let's hope those ideas aren't 'inspired' by any Ferrari IP. Imagine having another spygate...

Seriously, I think Force India have been very creative with their aerodynamics, coming up with some radical concepts in the wing mirror section. Also, Fisico is apparently a good test driver so McLaren can have extra opinions on their components.

[potmotr]

Originally posted by Mika Mika


I like to think the guys at the back (dow the honest end of the grid) find all sorts of clever trick to keep up with the big boys!!!

I thought that was a Mark Gascoyne trademark...

Why would they get rid of him? Surely his legendary directness can't be that bad, and Force India has been much stronger this year than I'd have expected.

Was he aligned too much with Kolles?

[AFCA]

Originally posted by potmotr


Was he aligned too much with Kolles?

Kolles will be fired because of his tight relationship with Audi I think, that's not to Mercedes liking I reckon...

[f1rules]

its finally total clear, Gascoyne is crap, and he had absolutely nothing to do with the championship winning renaults, that must be the conclusion after his latest exit

[Dragonfly]

Don't know. Have some bad feeling that there will be two more vacant spots on the grid at the end of nest year.

[Mika Mika]

Originally posted by Dragonfly
Don't know. Have some bad feeling that there will be two more vacant spots on the grid at the end of nest year.

If there is i think it will be two empty williams spots would be the biggest loss since Team Lotus left

[equality]

Originally posted by potmotr


I thought that was a Mark Gascoyne trademark...

Why would they get rid of him? Surely his legendary directness can't be that bad, and Force India has been much stronger this year than I'd have expected.

Was he aligned too much with Kolles?

I think gacoigne is good but he did make some mistakes at force india. too many times setup mistakes, reliability issues wich should have been taken care of and strategic blunders have blighted the teams progress, just look how silly they threw away fisichellas good position at brasil.

[potmotr]

Originally posted by f1rules
its finally total clear, Gascoyne is crap, and he had absolutely nothing to do with the championship winning renaults, that must be the conclusion after his latest exit

I'm not sure I agree with you there.

He designed the most successful Jordan ever, the 199.

He also helped Benetton/Renault get back to respectibility after the awful 98-01 years.

And look at where Toyota has gone since his departure - no where at all.

I've no doubt his aggressive style isn't for everyone, but I think he's a man who has helped make a lot from a little, right back to his contribution to Tyrrell back in the 90s.

[Burai]

Originally posted by f1rules
its finally total clear, Gascoyne is crap, and he had absolutely nothing to do with the championship winning renaults, that must be the conclusion after his latest exit

How on earth would you come to that conclusion?

The reason Gascoyne is going is because McLaren are supplying the entire package and they don't need him any more. They are getting rid of him because he's redundant, not because he's ****.

The fact is that under Gascoyne, Force India did much better than they had any right to do with their budget. They ran at the back, but they were never embarrassing.

[muramasa]

so where next for Gascoyne?

[Mika Mika]

Originally posted by muramasa
so where next for Gascoyne?

carphone warehouse ;)

[potmotr]

Originally posted by muramasa
so where next for Gascoyne?

Why not Renault? He was clearly very effective there, and it seems to be an outfit which does a lot with a little. It's also full of no bullshit characters like Pat Symonds. Perfect fit.

[equality]

pulease, we dont need gascoigne at renault.

[z2z]

It will be fun to watch Sutil outpacing Hamilton or others

[Dudley]

Originally posted by z2z
It will be fun to watch Sutil outpacing Hamilton or others

He couldn't do it in a Dallara F305, why do you think he'll be able to do it in a customer McLaren?