23 replies to this topic

[BT52]

I am amazed that I can't find a single F1 site that thinks this news is worth mentioning !!!!

His place is taken by Steve Nichols from McLaren.

(Come on news room people!!!)

[Gemini]

http://www.f1racing.net did reported this:


Jaguar Racing today announced that Steve Nichols joins the team as technical director with immediate effect. He replaces Gary Anderson, who is leaving Jaguar Racing.

Nichols joins Jaguar Racing from McLaren International, where his most recent role was Head Of Future Projects. Steve has a distinguished pedigree in Formula One. He previously held the positions of chief designer at McLaren and Jordan, and was technical director at Sauber. He has also worked on the Formula One design and development programmes at Ferrari.

Announcing the new appointment, Jaguar Racing chairman Neil Ressler said: "Steve will bring a new technical dimension to the team. His experience at the highest levels of Formula One racing, together with his engineering skills, will give new impetus to Jaguar Racing as we build for the future."

Steve starts work at Jaguar Racing today as the team begins an intensive winter testing programme in preparation for the 2001 season. The testing programme will focus on the hybrid ‘R1B’ chassis, which ran for the first time at Silverstone this morning.

Steve will oversee the core development team for the Jaguar R2 led by chief designer John Russell and chief aerodynamicist Mark Handford, who recently joined from Lola Cars.

Thanking Gary Anderson for his contribution to Jaguar Racing, Neil Ressler said: "During the 2000 season Gary has worked hard to make the Jaguar R1 a competitive challenger in Formula One, but at this stage of our development we believe that a change in the team's technical direction will benefit Jaguar Racing as we go forward."

"For next season we have a new car in the Jaguar R2, a new driver in Luciano Burti and, of course, a new chief executive officer in Bobby Rahal," said Neil Ressler. "The changes to our design and engineering staff will help give the team a new and competitive focus, and will enable us to give Eddie and Luciano the best possible support as they prepare for an intensive winter testing programme and the start of the new season in March."

Bobby Rahal said: "I fully support these changes. Our immediate objective is to step-up our overall competitiveness in 2001, but our longer term goal is quite clearly to challenge for the top honours in the sport. As Neil has consistently stated, we will continue to invest in the technical capability of the team in terms of facilities and talent in order to achieve this goal."

[BT52]

Originally posted by Gemini
http://www.f1racing.net did reported this:

Not when I posted it they hadn't

[boru]

The BBC reported it a couple of hours ago.

[Gemini]

As http://www.planet-f1.com reports Anderson in not the only one who was shown the EXIT door:


All change at Jaguar

December 1: Jaguar's human resources department is working overdrive as key personnel come and go.
As testing for the 2001 season gets underway, Jaguar have announced a major shake up under new boss Bobby Rahal.

Gary Anderson is the first casualty along with Andy Le Fleming while former McLaren man Steve Nichols is the first of the new arrivals.

Rumours linking Gordon Kimball with Jaguar seem to have been wide of the mark, but with Jaguar always expect the unexpected.

Other casualties of this major 'clear out' are key engineers such as Andy Rice and Rob Gearing, while an inside source informs us that Ferrari's Nigel Stepney is almost certain to announce his move to Jaguar within the next few days.

Work on the R2 is said to be well underway and consequently the personnel changes shouldn't affect the programme.

Clearly Ford are smarting from the embarrassment of the 2000 season and are determined to put things right.

Expect more changes in the coming days as the teams prepare for the Spanish tests

[Halfwitt]

Originally posted by BT52
I am amazed that I can't find a single F1 site that thinks this news is worth mentioning !!!!

His place is taken by Steve Nichols from McLaren.

The Yanks posting here said the void left by the rumoured departure of Anderson would be filled by Yanks. I thought Mr. Nichols was British. I am sure someone will correct me if I am

[Spot]

I always thought Steve was a Brit, but it turns out his American.

Boru - a Moody Blues fan?

[Nathan]

So what do you think is next for old Anderson??? Minardi? Prost? Sauber?..or maybe he will take an extended, extended gardening leave?

[Piquet_1]

Anderson is just terrible. Give him a job designing F3000 or IRL chassis somewhere.

[MrAerodynamicist]

Originally posted by Halfwitt
Mr. Nichols was British. I am sure someone will correct me if I am [/B]

He's american, I've meet him and my sister knows him.

[Ray Bell]

Stepney, of course, is Nige... err... British...

[desmo]

Yes, I'm not sure why but Yank parents never give their sons the name Nigel.

Watch out for Jag in a couple or three years, Mr. Rahal knows his stuff when it comes to roadracing, and once their infrastructure and personnel are in place and with Ford's resources you will see them move right to the front.

[Alvega]

Another casualty in the technical staff of Maclaren.

Henry Durand to Prost, Steve Nichols to Jaguar, and the electronics expert (forgot name) to Ferrari.

While everibody is worried about the possibility of Ferrari eventually loosing key personell, it seems it is actually Maclaren who is paying the toll.

Do you want to comment guys ?

[Piquet_1]

I sure like that decision.

I'm perplexed however. Ford obviously now wants an American face to this team. And yet, they ditched the Ford name and US racing colors (blue on white) for Jaguar and British colors. This leaves an identity crisis amongst its fans, the Americans who dig having said face in F1, and the British who now feel alienated (at least that's what I can tell from certain reactions). Strange doings.

[Eau Red]

Originally posted by desmo
Yes, I'm not sure why but Yank parents never give their sons the name Nigel.

that's because Yanks with that name would get beaten up by other Yanks when they went to Yank schools.

[The Swerve]

Didn't Anderson get the flick from Jordan too? And it was only a few years ago, I think.

[FucF1]

Whats this with everyone attacking Gary Anderson?

He was chief designer at Jordan for *years* and thats not exactly a bad car! Get your facts right

[Wolf]

Dammit! They killed Kenny! You bastards!

[kenny]

Hey Wolf...

As you can see, I'm alive again... (as in every new episode of South Park...) I'm immortal ;)

[Wolf]

Glad to hear that it doesn't work only in cartoons...

[Nathan]

Originally posted by FucF1
Whats this with everyone attacking Gary Anderson?

He was chief designer at Jordan for *years* and thats not exactly a bad car! Get your facts right

heres my facts...

1991 I'll give him credit. But since? Funny how Jordan didnt win UNTIL Anderson left. Anderson is a second rate designer, he's good yes, but better have come along, simple fact. Egghead (sorry dont know his name, but love the guy), Gascoyne (again sorry) have all come along, and in my mind have surpased Gary. I smell a career in designing GT cars.

[Megatron]

"I'm perplexed however. Ford obviously now wants an American face to this team. And yet, they ditched the Ford name and US racing colors (blue on white) for Jaguar and British colors. This leaves an identity crisis amongst its fans, the Americans who dig having said face in F1, and the British who now feel alienated (at least that's what I can tell from certain reactions). Strange doings"

Well that is odd, when you consider that they have been puting yanks in left and right (Rahal, Ressler, Handford, Nichols), but they changed the car from Ford to Jaguar (a car with great British heritage).

RACER magizene speculated that the move to Jaguar was because of the US, as Ford depend on the US for over half of the Jag sales world wide. I guess that theory is just as good as any other.

What I find funny is that the boss of Jaguar, Wolfgang Rieztle (sp?) has played little, if any role in the team. The only time I remember seeing him was at the launch and it seems like he might have been at Germany. All the key personal are Ford people, you could even argue that Jackie Stewart would be a Ford person because when he was a driver his salary was paid in full by Ford and he has been a spokesman and advisor for Ford since 1968.

[Megatron]

BTW, although I love having what is basically an American team, if I were British I would not like the fact that they took one of the most beloved British car markers and basically did very little that was actually British.

It would be like if Mercedes bought McLaren, named it Dodge, painted it blue and white, then surrounded the team with Germans.

I don't like "badging". The worst might be when Bently come back to Le Mans. A "British" team that is owned by Audi and is basically an extremely close relitive to the R8.

[FucF1]

Nathan, the 1998 Jordan was Anderson designed, the 1999 car was nearly all Anderson (work have been done the preceding year) the 2000 car was Gasgoyne designed.

What was the best car? Exactly.