Mike Gascoyne
Michael Gascoyne | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 2, 1963 Rackheath, Norfolk, England |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, designer |
| Known for | Formula One engineering and design; technical director roles at multiple F1 teams |
Michael Robert Gascoyne (born 2 April 1963) is a British engineer and designer specializing in Formula One.
Throughout his career, Gascoyne has worked with a variety of Grand Prix teams such as McLaren, Sauber, Tyrrell, Jordan (which later evolved into Midland F1, Spyker, Force India, Racing Point, and eventually Aston Martin), Renault, Toyota, and Team Lotus, subsequently rebranded as Caterham F1 Team.
Early career
Originating from Rackheath, Norfolk, England, Gascoyne attended Wymondham College between 1974 and 1981. He pursued studies in fluid dynamics at the University of Cambridge (Churchill College) from 1982 until 1988, obtaining several degrees but departing prior to completing a doctorate. Early in his professional journey, he briefly worked for Westland System Assessment Limited, a division of Westland Helicopters, while maintaining a strong dedication to motorsport.
Early roles
Gascoyne began his Formula One career in 1989 at McLaren as an aerodynamicist specializing in wind tunnel testing. After one year, he transitioned to Tyrrell, which was gaining momentum with driver Jean Alesi and the innovative Tyrrell 019 chassis.
At Tyrrell, he collaborated under the guidance of designer Harvey Postlethwaite, who later invited him to join Sauber in Switzerland in 1991. Gascoyne stayed with Sauber until the conclusion of the 1993 season; during that period, the Sauber C13 chassis accumulated 12 championship points.
Toward the end of 1993, Postlethwaite returned to Tyrrell and appointed Gascoyne as deputy technical director for the design of the 1994 car. Gascoyne remained with Tyrrell for four years despite financial limitations that hindered competitiveness. When Ken Tyrrell planned to sell the team to British American Tobacco, Gascoyne chose to leave, anticipating that the newly renamed British American Racing would bring in Malcolm Oastler as technical director.
Jordan Grand Prix
In June 1998, Gascoyne accepted the role of technical director at Jordan Grand Prix and immediately commenced work on their 1999 vehicle. That year represented the team's peak performance, securing third place in the Constructors' Championship along with two race victories.
Benetton/Renault F1
Prior to the start of the 2001 season, Gascoyne joined Benetton, which had been facing challenges since the mid-1990s. Over two and a half seasons with Benetton—later rebranded as Renault—he contributed to marked improvements, including a triumph at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix. Nonetheless, Renault placed him on gardening leave pending his transition to Toyota F1 under terms of a confidential financial agreement.
Toyota
In December 2003, Gascoyne moved to Toyota's Cologne facility and began development on their 2004 car. Due to early design schedules, his impact on initial decisions was limited, resulting in a disappointing season. The following year, 2005, marked Toyota's most successful Formula One campaign, scoring points in all but two races and securing pole position for Jarno Trulli at the contentious United States Grand Prix. Gascoyne targeted Toyota's inaugural race victory and championship title for 2006; however, early difficulties with Bridgestone tires and new V8 engines led to underperformance.
Despite Ralf Schumacher’s podium finish at Melbourne and progress made during 2005 under Gascoyne’s leadership, Toyota unexpectedly dismissed him after the opening race. The poor results from the TF106 car combined with disagreements over technical strategy were cited as reasons for his removal. Toyota referenced a "fundamental difference of opinion" concerning technical management and suspended him pending further review. On 6 April, Gascoyne and Toyota mutually agreed to part ways, with Pascal Vasselon named interim technical director.
Spyker/Force India
In September 2006, Gascoyne accepted the role of chief technology officer at Spyker F1, commencing his duties in November. He was responsible for designing an enhanced version of the F8-VII chassis, which debuted at the 2007 Turkish Grand Prix. According to Gascoyne, this updated chassis had the potential to reduce lap times by as much as three-quarters of a second compared to its predecessor.
Following Spyker's acquisition by Vijay Mallya in 2008 and its subsequent rebranding as Force India, Gascoyne retained his CTO position. Nevertheless, on 7 November 2008, it was declared that he would no longer hold an official role within the team, with Mallya assuming complete operational leadership.
Lotus F1 Racing/Team Lotus/Caterham Group (2009–2015)
During 2009, Gascoyne played a key role in Litespeed F3's attempt to enter Formula One under the Team Lotus banner for the 2010 season. Although this initial effort did not succeed, he secured support from the Malaysian government to launch Lotus Racing, which successfully gained entry for the 2010 championship. After undergoing multiple rebranding phases, the outfit evolved into the Caterham F1 Team. On 29 September 2010, Gascoyne extended his contract with Caterham, committing through to 2015.
Caterham Technology and Caterham Composites
In February 2012, Gascoyne transitioned away from day-to-day Formula One team management to assume the position of CTO at the Caterham Group. Concurrently, he took on CEO responsibilities for both Caterham Technology and Caterham Composites. Drawing on his extensive experience in Formula One engineering and project oversight, he focused on delivering competitive turnkey solutions across automotive, marine, and aerospace industries.
Caterham Le Mans Project
On 3 June, the Caterham Group revealed plans to compete in the 2013 Le Mans 24-hour race within the LMP2 category in collaboration with Greaves Motorsport. Gascoyne led Caterham’s personnel during this initiative as part of a strategic assessment aimed at entering the customer prototype market and developing a future Sports Prototype program.
This endurance racing venture is closely linked to a 50/50 joint enterprise between Caterham and the historic French automaker Alpine to create a new road sports car. Gascoyne and Caterham Technology spearhead design efforts for a vehicle scheduled for release in 2016 under both the Caterham and Alpine marques.
MGI Engineering Ltd
Founded by Gascoyne in 2003 originally as MGI Motorsport, MGI Engineering is based in Oxfordshire, UK. The firm specializes in lightweight composite materials tailored for aerospace, motorsport, automotive, and marine applications. Recently, it has pivoted towards electric vehicle technologies and sustainability initiatives by applying Formula One-derived innovations and agile development methodologies to create eVTOL aircraft solutions.
Class 40 racing program
In May 2013, MGI collaborated with Caterham Technology and Caterham Composites to initiate the 'Caterham Challenge' Class40 offshore racing project. This two-year campaign was led by CEO Gascoyne alongside Sailing Director Brian Thompson and followed Gascoyne’s successful solo transatlantic race in 2012 under the same brand.
The program sought to integrate Formula One standards of technology and logistics into offshore racing while advancing environmentally friendly energy technologies across marine, automotive, and aerospace sectors. MGI constructed the Akilara RC3 Class40 yacht Silvi Belle 2, which was unveiled at the 2013 Southampton Boat Show before undergoing trials in The Solent and English Channel.
Silvi Belle 2 participated in the Transat Jacques Vabre race beginning November 2013, sailing from Le Havre, France to Itajai, Brazil with Gascoyne serving as skipper and Thompson as co-skipper.
Rolex Fastnet Race 2015
In the 2015 edition of the Rolex Fastnet race, the Class 40 yacht Silvi Belle 2, bearing sail number GBR 132 and helmed by skipper Gascoyne alongside crew members Phil Sharp, James French, and Adrian Kuttel, secured third place. The team navigated the 608-mile route in a time of 3 days, 12 hours, 17 minutes, and 10 seconds, crossing the finish line at Plymouth on 20 August at 00:27:10. The event presented a range of conditions: initially light winds coupled with strong currents, transitioning to powerful winds and turbulent seas during the leg back from Fastnet Rock.
Silvi Belle 2 was the leading vessel in the Class 40 category rounding Fastnet Rock, passing this key waypoint on 19 August at 00:41:07.
Other activities
During his tenure at Churchill College, Cambridge, Gascoyne spearheaded two Himalayan mountaineering expeditions between 1986 and 1987, successfully reaching the summits of Bandarpunch and Sudarshan Parbat. Subsequently, from 1989 to 1992, he engaged in paragliding. In motorsport, he competed in the BOSS GP series in 1999 driving Formula 1 cars—the Tyrrell 022 and Tyrrell 025—which he had designed while working at Tyrrell Racing. His efforts culminated in a podium finish at Brands Hatch.
In 2012, Gascoyne undertook a solo non-stop Atlantic crossing aboard a Class40 yacht, covering approximately 3,200 miles from Cascais in Portugal to Grenada in the Caribbean.
He regularly writes articles for various publications and has appeared on television programs such as Sky Sports F1. Additionally, he provided commentary for BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra during the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix and temporarily filled in for Eddie Jordan on BBC One's coverage of the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix. In 2011, he was appointed as president of the Cambridge Granta Cricket Club.
Personal life
Gascoyne lives in Oxfordshire with his partner Silvi and their three children: Joel, Connie, and Freddie.
His nickname "the rottweiler" originated during his period at Tyrrell under the guidance of mentor Harvey Postlethwaite. Initially dubbed "Harvey's pit bull" by a colleague known as "Jolly," this moniker evolved into "the rottweiler," a name that has endured ever since.