Caterham revamps its technical organization
After a disappointing start to the season, Caterham has decided to review its technical organization. Thus, Mark Smith, the technical director, is leaving the team with immediate effect.
Before the Spanish Grand Prix, Caterham is still in last place in the Constructors’ standings, which could have a significant impact on its budget for the next season. To address this, the team management has decided to revise its operations from a technical standpoint. Instead of being led solely by Mark Smith, the entire technical division will be managed by a triumvirate consisting of John Iley, Jody Egginton, and Gerry Hughes, who will report directly to Cyril Abiteboul.
The Frenchman therefore explains bluntly that he is not satisfied with the current situation and that a drastic remedy was necessary to move forward: « It was obviously a difficult decision to make to see someone of Mark’s caliber leave, but we identified the need to restructure in order to improve our on-track performance. Forming a new technical committee, composed of John, Jody, and Gerry, will enable us to do so. »
The three men will thus divide the roles, each concentrating on one aspect. Thus, John Iley, who was previously the performance director, becomes the head of performance engineering. As a result, he expands his scope of competence to include all aspects related to performance, including aerodynamics.
As for Jody Egginton, who was Mark Smith’s right-hand man, he will take on the responsibility of the practical aspects of team organization as he oversees the Design, Production, Control Systems, and Electronics divisions to accelerate the development process from the drawing board to the car on the grid. His goal will be to increase speed while controlling costs and quality.
Finally, Gerry Hughes, who only joined Leafield at the start of the season, will be responsible for all track operations while maintaining his responsibilities as the chief engineer.
Cyril Abiteboul believes that this new organization will complement the efforts already undertaken over the previous years: « After investing in our new factory last year, in new aerodynamic development capabilities over the winter, the new structure offers three specialists, whom we are fortunate to have with us, the opportunity to use their experience, passion, and commitment to help us progress. We are not satisfied with our current level of performance, and John, Jody, and Gerry, with the full support of our shareholders, employees, and partners, are the right people to help us move forward. »
From our special correspondent in Barcelona
