Backmarker Caterham ousts technical boss Smith (Update)
A new Technical Committee has been formed to oversee all technical and operational aspects of the team’s activities on and off track. Additionally, Technical Director Mark Smith and Caterham F1 Team have parted company with immediate effect and his role will not be directly replaced. Instead, John Iley, Jody Egginton and Gerry Hughes will now each take responsibility for specific areas of the team’s operational activities as the newly created Technical Committee, reporting directly to Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul.
John Iley, who joined the team in 2012 and has, until most recently, been Performance Director, is now Head of Performance Engineering with increased oversight and responsibility for all performance aspects of the car, including Aerodynamics and Vehicle Performance.
Jody Egginton, previously Deputy Technical Director, is now Head of Design & Manufacturing and will oversee a more integrated and seamless design, manufacturing and rig testing process with cost, quality and time as key drivers from early concepts and drawings to physical parts management. A number of departments will report to Jody including Design, Production, Control Systems and Electronics.
Gerry Hughes, the latest recruit to the team who joined in early 2014 as Chief Engineer, now steps up to run all trackside operations as Head of Track Operations. He will continue as Chief Engineer and now also assumes overall management of track activities and personnel, giving full flexibility to the team's structure.
Cyril Abiteboul: “First I would like to thank Mark for his time and dedication to the development of our team since he first joined in 2011. We and Mark part company on good terms and with our best wishes for the future. It was obviously a tough decision to see someone of Mark’s caliber go, but we have identified the need to restructure as a key aspect of increasing our on-track performance and forming a new Technical Committee composed of John, Jody and Gerry will allow us to do exactly that.
“After investing last year in our new factory, and over the winter in aerodynamic development capacity, the new structure gives three specialists we are lucky to have with us the opportunity to use their experience, passion and dedication to help us progress. We are not happy with our current performance levels and John, Jody and Gerry, with my full support and that of our shareholders, staff and partners, are the right people to help take us forward."
05/10/14 (GMM) F1 backmarker Caterham has ousted its technical boss Mark Smith.
That is the claim of Luis Vasconcelos, the correspondent at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya this weekend for Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper.
He said 53-year-old Smith, who has also worked at Renault, Red Bull and Force India before joining Caterham in 2011, was ousted due to the team's struggle for pace this season.
It has been rumored that, having started the project in 2010, this season could be Caterham's last season in F1 before team owner Tony Fernandes loses patience.
"The one comment I would make is that we should not take anything for granted," team boss Cyril Abiteboul said in Barcelona on Friday.
"Formula one is the pinnacle of motor sport. We need to deserve our position on track. It's not like once you are in there you should sit down and relax," he added.