Mike Gascoyne seems to have plenty of admirers among readers of this site and seems to have won many more over with his performance on BBC F1 last weekend in Shanghai.
Gazza likes doing media work, but he was really in China to see if he could win over any of the F1 teams, who might like to employ him. He’s been out of work since Force India let him go at the end of last year.
Gazza believes that his ability as a technical co-ordinator with specialist knowledge in the field of aerodynamics might appeal to some teams who are struggling to get on top of the new rules for 2009.
Today’s Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that Gazza, 45, made a strong pitch to Ferrari at the weekend,
“I’m not looking for a fixed role,” he told the paper. ” But I could carry out a consultant’s role in the aero field, in the wind tunnel..”
Gascoyne believes he has three qualities which will appeal at Maranello,
“I have a working method like Ross Brawn and have a passion for all things Italian. Ferrari would enrich my career, I live between Switzerland and Germany with my girlfriend Silvia (ex Toyota marketing department) so to go to Maranello wouldn’t be a problem.”
Eagle eyed readers tell me that Gazza put his stately pile in Oxfordshire on the market in February and told the Oxford Times that he was selling because, “My next job is likely to be abroad.”
He’s obviously been thinking about this for some time.
Ironically Gascoyne had a cameo role in the Ferrari/McLaren spy story. He was at a restaurant in Spain when he observed Mike Coughlan and Nigel Stepney together, which he made sure to mention at the time.
I don’t know him, but why he was let go by quite a many teams before like Toyota and even Force India? I wouldn’t mind something needs to be done at Ferrari that’s for sure. I want Kimi to have a strong car to get back to the top he belongs before loses all of his motivation.
I hope someone takes advantage of his experience very soon.
I really enjoyed his input on the BBC over the weekend – nice insight into the technical aspects. Much better than EJ, who is a bit OTT in my opinion.
Looking forward to a dry race at the weekend…
Surely he’s just after the $$$…
Why just Ferrari? Surely a team like Force India need someone of his skill more? Why did they let him go in the 1st place if he has “a working method like Ross Brawn”?
From his own words last weekend, he got on fine with the lads but had problems with management.
It is just an impression from listening to him but I would guess he has a fairly short fuse and does not gladly, if at all, tolerate fools or ignorance, particularly in those managing him who should know better.
Unfortunately many management roles are not acquired through skill, knowledge and ability, but through manipulation, nepotism, and politics. These people then survive by being carried by others below them and having sloping shoulders themselves. (Yes I do have experience of this)
does not gladly, if at all, tolerate fools or ignorance, particularly in those managing him who should know better.
Just because you are argumentative on one subject doesn’t mean you are on all.
I get the impression that Mike is one of those ‘Tell it like it is/you do it my way’ types which tend to wind up management.
Give him free rain though, and he gets thing done. I remember the effect he had when he arrived at Jordan (brilliantly captured by a fly on the wall documentary).
At first he wound everyone up, as he told then they needed to stop being the ‘fun’ team and get serious.
But in just a handful of races, he turned a team that barley scored a point in the first half of the year into regular point scores, and then the 1-2 in Belgium. Impressive stuff.
(And the folowing year, they came close to the champioship with HH-F)
Are you saying that you had a nepotistic management role?
JOKING!!!!!!
I suppose Ferrari’s strategists aren’t doing a particularly great job at the moment are they? Massa’s failure to get past Q1 in Malaysia, Raikonnen’s premature wet tyre change…
I read recently that Mike Gascoyne was looking to a future on the TV side of F1… Am I out of date or is he hedging his bets?
I hope the BBC gives him a job cos he was brilliant!!
I think he would be extremely frustrated after a few weeks, being so close to the technology he loves, but not being able to get his hands on it.
But it was certainly a step up for the BBC while he was giving his insight.
I hope the BBC finds other experts to do a show or two each. I thought Mike was great, but I wonder how long he’d keep us enthralled. (I also didn’t like his call about bringing light front runners in early under the safety car, which Jake described as “bang on”, even in retrospect).
I’m sure there are plenty of people kicking around (given the recent cuts) who could be very informative. Any ex-driver or any ex-decision maker from a (prefereably leading) team will do, at least once.
I was hoping he could replace Eddie Jordan who I find irritating.
Hopefully Ferrari hire him because he was extremely annoying on TV.
Great knowledge, but doesn’t have the voice or charisma to be on our screens every week.
I’ve liked Mike since I first knew of him at Jordan. I agree that his presence in China far outshone that of EJ – he was knowledgeable, was adding further commentary and insight to compensate for the idiot they’ve put beside Martin. It was interesting the camera angles they used to disguise the height differences!
Why did I think at John Barnard when I read this?
Hey James, how much of the FIF1 car is Mike’s design? Would they have sacked much of his design in favor of James Key’s works?
Shame if he’s lost to ferrari, the Beeb could do with signing him onto the team! Will be interesting to see how well he would fit in to the Scuderia if he were to join after the stories of being ‘hard to work with’ from previous collegues…
It is quite possible that Mike got let go from those teams for being “too right” and in a political world, if you rub people the wrong way, you won’t make any friends by always being right.
Ferrari could have used him at the beginning of the season to make the strategy calls, but lets see how Chris Dyer works out, I think.
It’s hard telling people what they need to hear, as opposed to what they want to hear, especially if you come across as rather blunt or abrasive.
He did comment on Kimi’s 1 stop strategy, which didn’t work out right for him in the end, not sure if that was Dyer’s call or Kimi’s.
I think Force Italy could definitely use a man from Force India.
There’s no denying Mike’s talent as a technical director and aerodynamicist…he enjoyed great success with jordan and took benetton out of the doldrums to the point where they won their first race in years with Alonso in ’03.
His 2005 toyota was their best car up until this year’s design.
As an Irish follower of F1 i’ll always have a soft spot for him as a result of the success enjoyed at Jordan in ’98/’99
Dear Ferrari,
If you’re reading this please hire Gazza….. ye need some inspiration and fresh ideas. 🙂 🙂 🙂
From a very concerned Ferrari fan….
Don 🙂
I’ve never been a fan of Mike’s – he’s always seemed cocky to the point of arrogant. Yes, he’s been involved in a few successful cars (though I doubt the successes can be solely attributed to him), but he’s also has some disappointing associations with Toyota and Spyker/ForceIndia.
I must admit though that I thought his insight as a pundit on the BBC last weekend was great – and a big improvement on EJ who can give a decent interview but can’t cut it as a live tv presenter.
‘It is just an impression from listening to him but I would guess he has a fairly short fuse and does not gladly, if at all, tolerate fools or ignorance, particularly in those managing him who should know better.’
I guess like a lot of MG’s he can easily blow a head gasket! 😀
I hope he doesn’t got to Ferrari…he was SO much better than EJ & I for one wish he was part of the Beeb F1 crew.
Is there a vacant position at Ferrari? Given that he’s effectively talking about Rory Byrne’s role…
What’s interesting is that John Iley, current head of aero, used to work for Mike at Jordan before following him to Renault – then leaving to Ferrari. So there’s a tie-in there.
Hiring Gascoyne would be an admission of far deeper problems at Ferrari than they have admitted so far. His expertise is not in aero solutions, but in restructuring and reorganising. It would, in effect, be an admission of structural deficiencies in how the team is working at the moment.
despite ferrari having no points so far this year, i still think the bbc need him more 😉
i did read that he enjoyed his stint at shanghai tho so fingers crossed (we don’t ever have to endure eddie again)
Hi James, surely the team most in need of Mike is Williams?
Sam Michaels I am sure has done a fine job but williams have a hug opportunity this season and they really are capatalising on it.
Could Williams accomodate Patrick Head and Mike, who seem quite similar personalities? Or is there some history between them that would preclude Mike ever working at Williams?
Regards Mike
I cant see Ferrari offering him a job mainly because of his nationality. Ferrari appear to have taken a decision to nationalize the team and in my opinion is part of the reason that Ferrari are in decline. To be the best in F1 you need to employ the best in the world not just the best from Italy.
I can’t edit my reply above but of course I meant to say Williams are NOT capatalising on the opportunity they have!
Regards Mike
I think that a cameo of MG in the documentary on Jordan from the ’99 season summed the man up perfectly ….
EJ and the team are being photographed with a couple of page 3 models draped over the car, in the pitlane, while Gascoyne describes the ‘fun’ attitude of the team to the film makers, “well, what you can see over there is a couple of pairs of very nice tits … but they’re not going to make the car go any faster.”
MG for the BBC. Now.
‘pair of tits’….. I thought he was taking about EJ and ralf!!!
Equally true at the time!
ha ha!!
… hmm, that’s a good point, maybe he WAS talking about them!
Mike Blackmore writes above :
“Williams have a hug opportunity this season” ~ didn’t think that was Frank’s style!
Martin
I hope someone takes advantage of his experience very soon.
Interesting, technical write-up. I’m that hip on these topics, and your break down of Gazza’s abilities and what he’s about, and how and why he’s trying to get the job taught me something.
[…] su regularidad, entonces, hablamos. Pero quería dejarlo claro. Mika Gascoyne se ofrece a Ferrari y alega una razón contundente: “I’m not looking for a fixed role but I could carry out a consultant’s role in the aero […]
Gazza??
I feel like I drop an I.Q. point every time I’m forced to read someone’s name bastardised in this cheap tabloid way. By aiming for the lowest common demoninator of Daily Star readers you alienate everybody else.
we all agree with you cristoph-lamby-pie…. oops sorry!
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