Restructuring at Williams F1: Coughlan makes his return!
After announcing the resignation of Sam Mickael and Jon Tomlinson about thirty minutes ago, Williams F1 also announced via a press release the return of Mike Coughlan. The British engineer will join the team in June 2011 as chief engineer. He is expected to improve the process of enhancing the underperforming 2011 car.
Mike Coughlan has been infamously known since 2007 for the espionage scandal between McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari. The English engineer is suspected of having contributed to the theft of confidential information from Ferrari for the benefit of McLaren, thanks to the complicity of Nigel Stepney.
After controversy, scandal, and numerous twists and turns, the two men were eventually suspended and McLaren was ultimately disqualified from the 2007 Formula 1 World Championship in addition to receiving a record fine of 100 million US dollars.
The engineer was no longer in F1 at the time and could not access it before September 2009. The FIA finally lifted its ban in February 2009. Since then, Coughlan has worked for Ocelot (designing patrol vehicles for the military) and last year joined the Nascar Waltrip Racing team.
Frank Williams, director of the English team, stated in a press release: “Mike Coughlan is a very good engineer with extensive experience in Formula One and civil engineering. He left Formula One in 2007 due to behavior that he deeply regrets today. His two-year ban from practicing in F1 has now expired several months ago, and Mike Coughlan is determined to show his worth again.”
Williams is happy to be able to give him the opportunity to prove himself again and we are very happy to have one of the most talented and competitive engineers in this sport to help us get back to the front of the grid. This is the first step in restructuring and strengthening our technical leadership. We will announce the next steps in this development soon.
Mike Coughlan, for his part, is also happy to make his return to F1, but also thanks those who have trusted him so far: «I am grateful to Williams for giving me this opportunity. My experience in 2007 changed my life. Since then, I have tried to put my skills to use in the design of the Ocelot vehicle aimed at transporting soldiers. I have also enjoyed my time with the Waltrip Racing team. […] Now, I am eager to return to a sport I love and to join a team I have admired for many years. I will dedicate myself to the team and ensure that we return to competitiveness while respecting the standards and ethics that Williams has always been synonymous with. »
