There are many of us who hunger for more insight into the Lotus F1 Team, after all this is a team billed as “1Malaysia” which means that we have a stake in it. But good info is hard to come by – those given out by the mainstream media tend to be come with PR gloss from the team bosses or even strong nationalistic sentiment.
Here’s an interview of Lotus F1’s Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne done by www.formula1.com, the official F1 website. In it, the fiery technical man nicknamed “The Rottweiler” explains the rationale behind driver selection and how he plans to manage “the hopes of a whole nation” among other topics. He also shares about his topsy turvy life in Formula 1 so far, admitting that “no one wanted to employ me”. Good stuff.
Read the full interview after the jump!
Q: Mike, after more than a year away from Formula One racing you are once again in charge of designing a car, as you did with Toyota…
Mike Gascoyne: I think after my last two jobs it became pretty clear that no one wanted to employ me, so I thought I’d better set up my own team… This is obviously a unique challenge, because it’s setting up a whole team from scratch, not just the car, and it’s a team that has the Lotus name. It’s a daunting task, but the advantages are clear. We haven’t got any baggage to deal with and we can set the team up to operate in a lean and efficient manner. On the Lotus side, as a Norfolk boy who grew up in the area and went to school around here, to bring back the Lotus name is a fantastic opportunity.
Q: Reviving the Lotus brand must be a very exciting task, as well as being a risky one when you think about Lotus’s glory days. Will the 2010 Lotus team be able to connect to those good old days? How long will it take?
MG: You can’t bring the Lotus name back into F1 without pressure – from Group Lotus and all the fans. And that’s how it should be – we don’t shy away from it. And on a personal level, as a guy who grew up just down the road and went to school a few miles from the Lotus factory, to be bringing the name back is something that has a very personal feel for me. As Formula One is changing and becoming less of a spending competition, hopefully now it’s more about innovative engineering. And that’s what (original Lotus founder) Colin Chapman’s philosophy always was, so if we can bring some success that would be a fantastic result. How quickly can we become competitive? A small, efficient operation has to look at doing so in three to five years, and that’s our aim.
Q: To have the best head start possible you have hired Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen to help you push the car’s development. You have known Jarno for many years – and with many teams. Was this one of the reasons you hired him?
MG: Jarno was always one of our first choices. I’ve worked with him several times, and get on with him very well. He’s also always been the quickest guy I’ve worked with over one lap and that will give us a clear view of the true pace of the car. Having experienced drivers in the car is essential. Starting so late, what we didn’t want to do was take on new drivers, who we’d have to teach how to do their jobs in F1, and we’ve been fortunate to get two race winners on board.
Q: You’re involved with a team that also carries the hopes of a whole nation. The driver announcement, for example, was held in Kuala Lumpur’s Parliament building in the presence of the Prime Minister of Malaysia YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abd Razak. It is a huge responsibility, especially as Malaysia is such an enthusiastic supporter of Formula One racing. How do you deal with that burden?
MG: It’s a great problem to have. I’ve been in this business for 20 years and I and the whole team are relishing the burden. Even the PR department…
Q: You are known for your strong leadership style, which has earned you the nickname ‘the rottweiler’. But it has sometimes caused conflicts with management. Will the Lotus team be an environment where you can live out your visions?
MG: I don’t think I have a confrontational approach, but I am very straightforward and I say what I believe. At Toyota, the direction I wanted it to go technically wasn’t where the management wanted, and that’s fine, it’s their choice, so we went our separate ways. You could say the consequences of their decisions weren’t necessarily that great. One of the great things here is the number of people coming on board who want to work with me. At Jordan, Renault and even Toyota I built some very strong teams. And that was resented at Toyota because the management didn’t see that as the way to go, and it’s nice that a lot of those people are coming over to Norfolk now.
Q: Talking of your past, what did you make of Toyota’s exit? What went wrong?
MG: Some might say the past is the best place for me, but I do have mixed feelings about them leaving. In one respect I’m very disappointed. When I went there in 2004 it was a fantastic opportunity to take the team forward, to win the world championship, and in 2005 I exceeded the goals that were set for me. They wanted to score a podium and reach 40 points – we scored five podiums and 88 points. The idea was to move on to score the first race win in 2006, and then the championship in 2007. But it was clear the senior management wanted the company to operate in a way I didn’t feel would bring them the results. The bottom line was that they didn’t get the results. So in some ways you could say ‘I told you so’, but in other ways I feel it is a terrible shame for the people out there. Really, my overriding feeling is of disappointment.
Q: Tony Fernandes said that he will act as team principal for a period and then back away. He has a lot of businesses to look after, and despite his past role as a sponsor of the Williams team, is a relative newcomer to the sport. Does that mean that you are the one that will show the ropes to the team?
MG: I don’t think I need to show Tony any ropes. As a professional businessman he’s very capable of holding the ropes, and that was immediately obvious to me when I first met him.
Q: How developed is the car and will it be completed in time to make the Bahrain grid?
MG: The simple fact is we will be ready for Bahrain, it’s just a question of how ready. We’ve said we want to be the best of the new teams, and I’m confident we’ll be able to give that a good go. But I think it’s not just about Bahrain, it’s about our development pace – three months from now, and where we are six months from now. I think we’ll put on a good showing in Bahrain for a team that got such a late entry.
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Gascoyne has a dubious reputation within the F1 community and as such is currently not employable, at least not to any of the established teams.
The rumour within F1 is that he has regularly taken undeserved credit over the years for the hard work of others in the design team. He markets himself well and is PR savvy.
Another reputation is that he is an opportunist and is always unethically 'on the take' earning from supplier and driver deals.
And thanks to the reputation Gascoyne has been jobless until now when a new team is desperate for someone with F1 experience and doesn't know any better.
Some say the only car that could be associated to him for success was the Jordan.
He is not of the same calibre as Ross Brawn or Adrian Newey, much as he leads the media to believe.
As the technical director with Lotus F1 he is responsible for managing technical resources rather than sit down to design the cars which I think he hasn't done for a very long time anyway. Someone from Fondtech probably did that for him. Lets see how long he will stay with Lotus F1 and what he delivers..
I see. So NATO kind of guy? No action, talk only :P
because alex yoong is an idiot
Hey Mazda 3, don't talk like an idiot. I am not a fan of Alex, but the fact is he is the first Malaysian F1 driver. I don't even know you ever drove a 125cc 2 stroke go kart! (I did). If not you would know and appreciate how tough driving one of these F1 'beast'.
I understand why Mike and the team management opted for experience because there is a lot of expectations from Malaysians and the Lotus brand. A very steep learning curve is expected from the team, nothing less, which even cash rich Toyota cannot achieve. So don't expect too much in the first year.
I just hope Fairuz Fauzy will somehow get a chance to show his skills driving the Lotus and become the 2nd Malaysian driver after Alex and inspire other potential F1 Malaysian drivers.
So, you are a genius then, Mazda 3 Mps?
You know what people appreciate? Comments like ferrucio's it makes sense, and a pleasure to read. Sounds educated.
You sound like you jst wanna say something to say something. Doesn't that make you an idiot? Dont come here and spam.
Too many morons like you who keep commenting retarded sh!t.
Back to the original post. It does sound like MG does puts the blame on everyone else, except himself. If he failed, take responsibility, don't say the management was messed up. Thats not right.
no one wants to employ him..and F1Malaysia takes what others refuse to take..wow such a good team we've in here…
oh really? : But Toyota also has reputation for not having passion to be the best in F1. As some people say, "Honda sells cars to race. Toyota race to sell cars."
Fuh fuh… Msians, msians… if this interview is conducted by mainstream media, will say biased la… govt's mouth la… etc.
So formula1.com conducted interview. Then say MG is the one who's a liar.
Macam tu baik tak yah baca langsung.
Sorry, (how soon) when is the first race for Lotus (1malaysia)? does the race together with Mercedes GP Petronas when Michael is going to drive? this is something make ppl to aware of it man…even is not the first race, im looking forward to witness in Sepang Circuit man. Thumbs Up for Lotus & Mercedes!~ making F1 for exciting :-)
No one complained when he is employed… :S
Sorry man, I support the Merz-GP Petronas with Schumacher next season.
btw, what is Flower F1 team engine using?
Actually tokmoh, you are wrong.
The phrase in automotive world goes like
''Ferrari sells cars to fund racing'' which was shortened to "Ferrari sells cars to race''.
Although Soichiro Honda was a great fan of racing, and the similar phrase could be used, it was coined up for Ferrari. This happened during the beginning of feud between Enzo Ferrari and Ferrucio Lamborghini. Lambo bought a car from Ferrari, and it had technical issues, which he informed Enzo. Enzo could not actually literally give a rat's a$$, because he was not interested in the road cars. His only passion was for the tracks.
as a malaysian, i hope the teams does well and prove all they nay sayers was wrong.
especially all the pessimist on this comment page!
come on lah.. since we are spending all that money all ready, give the lotus team our full support.. knowing my tax money is racing away on a GP circuit is better that seeing a cancel crooked bridge for the next 20 years!!
after 52 years a independence, still all this negativity… tassk tassk tassk.. grow up lah people.
c'moon, mazda 3 tried to be funny that's all. Apa la you extremists…
All the best to Team LotusF1
in asean seem like we are ahead to far and lucky we hv proton but ppl still bash still compare car price with our neighbour.We bought lotus and to learn the fundemental of the car and their ppl also appreciate what hv we done. Look out neighbour just drive japan and conti but how many of them? at least we hd brand despite its not like very ferari and honda and expert like gascoyne also like to work with 'our' team.
We have no expertise in f1 but until when can we live just hlp form outsider, why should bash the gov when they agree to give m'sian the paltform so build xpertise
No, it stops being funny after you insult someone else. Do not condone this sort of behaviour, as it puts our image as a nation in a bad light. paultan does have visitors from other countries. Let us comment in a civil manner.
Even on the Top Gear blog, a malaysian goes there and starts making a fool out of himself and us. Does not look good now, does it?
You are entitled to your opinion, but insulting someone? That does not bode well anywhere.
And there are plenty of other ways to be funny. Its not called extremism, why not take a stroll through the comments of this blog? You will notice that there is a huge majority of negativity and hatred for our own kind.
Only in Malaysia.
This is one of the money wasting project done by our "Beloved" prime minister in order to make their result list more shining:
a) Mahathir – KLCC
b) Abdullah – Space travel
c) Najib – Malaysia Formula 1 team.
Putting millions and millions in fake country pride doesn't make the malaysian citizen live better. Concentrate on corruption and reducing individual expenditure should be the priority.
Deduction of fuel subsidy and increase sugar tax next year are going to increase our living expenditure. Yet, high vehicle price forcing us buy expensive vehicles. "Corruption Project – NAP" (i.e. Recon car and Rebuild trucks) cause foreign car makers suffer massive sales lost, and create barrier to potential foreign car makers.
Imagine if today Govt abandon NAP, which allow foreign car makers (GM, Volkswagen) to enter local market and generate more sales, that would definitely increase employments throughout the whole nation, from production, logistic & distribution, Sales & Marketing, service workshop, HR and admin, perhaps even R&D.
So, Wake up ladies and gentlemen who comments above! You should think of you and your family future and protest the Lotus F1 team, not to which driver or technician, but to the VERY NATURE OF IT.
well the comment above me prove that Malaysians ARE stupid. PETRONAS Twin Towers were funded by Petronas its theirs, not the gov. the Astronaut program, that was something that RUSSIAN GOV gave to us as we buy a few Sukoi jetfighter from them.
and LOTUS F1 is owned by Tony and his friends. its a private venture, nothing to do with the GOV or even proton. the only GOV do is give their support, trough giving them the facility that we already have like SIC, make them collaborate with Malaysian Universities and give permission to tony to use 1malaysia logo for him to promote the country.
as long as GOV is involve, wang rakyat is wasted? think properly…. BTW, there are no restriction on bringing in the foreign cars, except that they are more expensive(because of tax), infact, there are Honda R&D institute in Malacca.
malaysians like cheaper car, thats why they choose recons over new. not that GOV recommends recons infact they are against it(give discounts to change from old to new cars).
This is one of the money wasting project done by our “Beloved” prime minister in order to make their result list more shining:
a) Mahathir – KLCC
b) Abdullah – Space travel
c) Najib – Malaysia Formula 1 team.
Putting millions and millions in fake country pride doesn’t make the malaysian citizen live better. Concentrate on corruption and reducing individual expenditure should be the priority.
Deduction of fuel subsidy and increase sugar tax next year are going to increase our living expenditure. Yet, high vehicle price forcing us buy expensive vehicles. “Corruption Project – NAP” (i.e. Recon car and Rebuild trucks) cause foreign car makers suffer massive sales lost, and create barrier to potential foreign car makers.
Imagine if today Govt abandon NAP, which allow foreign car makers (GM, Volkswagen) to enter local market and generate more sales, that would definitely increase employments throughout the whole nation, from production, logistic & distribution, Sales & Marketing, service workshop, HR and admin, perhaps even R&D.
So, Wake up ladies and gentlemen who comments above! You should think of you and your family future and protest the Lotus F1 team, not to which driver or technician, but to the VERY NATURE OF IT.
Hi Cyrus…i f u put foreign car makers in your country just to produce cars like producing typewriters, it is pointless to have these companies because sooner or later they will shift to other places because of cost, right now, we can see sweden nothing to be proud of… volvo being sold to china geely..saab going to be bankrupt and axed…80,ooo swedes going to be unemployed within a week.. this is problem having GM, Volkswagon being your national products and dumped into dustbins of history and who did not give a damn about people livelihood, i think you do not understand basic marcoeconomics and generate wealth within your own country… Luckily proton was not sold to GM or Volkswagon…or else 100,000 Malaysian will be unemployed right now!!
Why so much negativity in our heads? As a car lover, its a dream come true to see our national flag waving in F1 races. And what pride it brings me to see our very own car manufacturer suceed (Proton and P2). Sure, there are flaws here and there… but thats part of the learning process! All manufactured goods have flaws… And all we do about them is complain.
By the way, if you are really into cars and racing, this (F1 n IRC n D1 etc.) must be one hell of a milestone in our countries short motoring history. Id say this, I support our F1 or WRC/IRC or D1 etc. regardless of who the PMs or the menteris or the govmnt or the Alex Yoongs or the Sheikh Muzafar are. Afterall whats politics got to do with it… Alex Yoong didnt do well in his short F1 stint… but I bet he was the best weve got at that time and seeing Malaysia do well in racing has now become his personal career… so kudos to him. And all the best to Fairuz Fauzi.
I suppose the other option is… dont enter races, dont make cars… lets just go to work and enjoy our mundane routine… or go fishing… dhuuh! If you love cars, you love cars…period!
p/s: Paul, you should consider setting up another blog Pauliticstan.org
He also shares about his topsy turvy life in Formula 1 so far, admitting that “no one wanted to employ me”. Then why 1M'sia team hire him?
Cyrus Low is an economic guru.
Yeaaa……
.
does this mean he actually does not want fairuz?
qosim slamutt said,
December 28, 2009 @ 5:28 pm
does this mean he actually does not want fairuz?
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YES.
It brings me a sense of pride to support Malaysian-backed Lotus F1 team. But I hate Air Asia so much.. for their slow customer service. They make you paid, charged your account and then returned an error page. Guess how long they'll refund my money back? Maybe they took my money to pay Heiki.
And I'll never fly Air Asia to London again.. lousy seat, tasteless meal.
Owh, this is an auto-related blog.. go Lotus! Die you Air Asia 8astards!
My apology Paul.
So where are the malaysian engineers who submitted their resume?
ex-proton said,
December 28, 2009 @ 11:36 pm
So where are the malaysian engineers who submitted their resume?
__________________________________________________________________
Thats a very good question. Didn't they publicise the many positions to fill and that they got over 6000 applicants?
1 MALAYSIA, DONT FIGHT LA LA LA
I suppose we cant turn back clock on our involvement in F1. I only hope those people running the F1 show at Lotus reads some of our comments too. At least it will keep them accountable consciously, if not impart some of the constructive ideas our fellow commentators have contributed on the issue thus far. Personally, its Tony & friend's decision to enter F1 and I'm sure they have means to keeping it afloat. I'm not entirely worry if they make a fool out of themselves amongst the more established team because nothing is ever expected of them anyway being newcomers. My biggest worry is that the govt. will spend the taxpayers money to help keep this Tony & friends venture alive when the tap runs dry in the future.