Toyota sack Gasgoyne

Post by **Big Kev** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:33 pm

The Toyota Formula One team have split with technical director Mike Gascoyne.

A Toyota statement said Gascoyne had been suspended after a "fundamental difference of opinion with regard to the technical operations" of the team.

Gascoyne, who joined Toyota in late 2003 after successful spells with Jordan and Renault, refused to comment.

Toyota said Gascoyne was suspended "until further notice", and made no further comment. There was no reference to who may replace the Englishman.

The website of Autosport magazine said that Gascoyne would be replaced by Frenchman Pascal Vasselon, who joined Toyota from tyre supplier Michelin last year.

Toyota, who last year had their best ever performance of fourth in the world championship, have had a disappointing start to the season.

After several podium finishes in 2005, they were expecting to challenge for victories this season, but the car has struggled with a lack of grip.

However, after a poor first two races, Ralf Schumacher did finish third in Australia last weekend.

Gascoyne has a strong reputation within F1 after turning around the fortunes of Renault and the now-defunct Jordan team.

But he is renowned for his strong character and confident manner, and is resolute about the way in which he wants his teams to work.

It has been speculated that his approach has led to frictions with the more conservative management style of Toyota, which is poised this year to become the world's biggest road-car maker.

GASCOYNE'S CAREER
1989-1991: McLaren (aerodynamicist)
1991-94: Sauber (head of aerodynamics)
1994-98: Tyrrell (deputy technical director)
1998-2000: Jordan (technical director)
2001-03: Renault (technical director)
2003-06: Toyota (technical director chassis)
Gascoyne turned Jordan into winners after joining them in 1998, and the team were title contenders the following year.

He joined Renault when they were struggling badly in their former guise as Benetton in 2000, and by 2003 they, too, had become winners again.

Toyota employed him, on a salary reputed to be $6.5m (Ã‚Â£3.7m), to perform a similar transformation for them.

They have reputedly the biggest budget in F1, but have not won a race since entering the sport in 2001.

The first car designed under Gascoyne, last year's TF105, was the most competitive the team had produced.

Gascoyne's contract was due to expire this year, and he has previously said he was not enjoying the amount of time he had to spend away from his family in England while working at Toyota F1's Cologne headquarters.

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:56 pm

nutty · Post by **nutty** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:59 pm

Intresting move, Im guessing he will be well sort after wonder where he is off too

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 9:03 pm

LOL at the GP he said he was going on holidays. Guess it was a bit longer than he anticipated

Enforcer-J · Post by **Enforcer-J** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 9:28 pm

A pretty valuable bloke to any team, I hope we get the full story soon / eventually.

Post by **Big Kev** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:30 pm

nutty wrote:Intresting move, Im guessing he will be well sort after wonder where he is off too

Plenty of teams already building for 2008 that will be on the lookout. He'll have to take a pay cut but it's the kind of development job a lot of these guys seem to like. Prodrive?

nutty · Post by **nutty** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:21 am

6.5million is a small part of a f1 teams budget, surely a good tech engineer would go along way, that 6.5 might just pay off.

Bacchulum · Post by **Bacchulum** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:18 am

Red Bull has Newey, maybe Gascoyne at Toro Rosso???

I actually believe Prodrive to be a very good possibility

, they're spending big on an all new facility.

9ra55h0ppaH · Post by **9ra55h0ppaH** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:07 pm

i read somewhere that even super aguri may be interested, seeing as they are alligned with honda, it would be a kick in the teeth for toyota if gascoyne can get super aguri running well...

then again, mclaren need a new technical director dont they seeing as newey isnt around anymore?

Enforcer-J · Post by **Enforcer-J** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 1:43 pm

nutty wrote:6.5million is a small part of a f1 teams budget, surely a good tech engineer would go along way, that 6.5 might just pay off.

Considering what some teams (especially Toyota) spend on their drivers, 6.5 mil for a name like Gascoyne is well worth it.