Geoff Willis leaves Red Bull

[ioan]

While the driver market is pretty silent, the engineers seems to be very active.
After Jorg Zander who left Brawn it's Willis who leaves RedBull:

http://allenonf1.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/geoff-willis-out-at-red-bull/

[Robinho]

with these 2 knocking about some of the new guys could have some decent design talent in their staff? Zander and Willis both have some hand in winning cars over the last few years - an attractive prospect

[gloomyDAY]

Should engineers be included in the silly season?

[CNR]

might just be a case of his contract was up at redbull


Willis joined Red Bull in mid-2007, renewing a partnership with Adrian Newey

he may have been on a 2 year contract ?

[Ranger]

It said in that article that his job has become redundant.

Remember when Willis joined, it was to improve the reliability of Newey's designs following a lot of mechanical failures during the 2007 season.

Following the engine freeze and levelling among other things, reliability is barely an issue now, hence Willis is no longer needed.

Both Willis and Zander shouldn't have trouble finding jobs with new teams.

[Valve Bounce]

Just by the way here : how is the customer car situation these days?

[Saint Devote]

The most interesting team is Manor Grand Prix. The design company that Boothe - Manor's chief - has associated with is headed by Nick Wurth [remember Simtek and its tragic sojurn in f1].

They designed the Acura LMP1 car [Gil de Ferrarn's team] and they are designing the first f1 car that will use computer fluid dynamics exclusively - no wind tunnel.

I am no technical authority on f1 but if the Manor-Cosworth is successful in 2010 - I wonder if it could just revolutionize f1 designing.

Eliminating wind tunnel's for example would be a sigificant cost saving even using 60% cars.

Thoughts?

[Tazio]

The most interesting team is Manor Grand Prix. The design company that Boothe - Manor's chief - has associated with is headed by Nick Wurth [remember Simtek and its tragic sojurn in f1].

They designed the Acura LMP1 car [Gil de Ferrarn's team] and they are designing the first f1 car that will use computer fluid dynamics exclusively - no wind tunnel.

I am no technical authority on f1 but if the Manor-Cosworth is successful in 2010 - I wonder if it could just revolutionize f1 designing.

Eliminating wind tunnel's for example would be a sigificant cost saving even using 60% cars.

Thoughts?The only current problem I have with this proposition is though its an excellent tool for developement. Under the current rules
it's my understanding like all other testing, Computational Fluid Dynamics, is either banned during the season or strictly limited. That will have to change. And I think it should. :up:

[ioan]

The most interesting team is Manor Grand Prix. The design company that Boothe - Manor's chief - has associated with is headed by Nick Wurth [remember Simtek and its tragic sojurn in f1].

They designed the Acura LMP1 car [Gil de Ferrarn's team] and they are designing the first f1 car that will use computer fluid dynamics exclusively - no wind tunnel.

I am no technical authority on f1 but if the Manor-Cosworth is successful in 2010 - I wonder if it could just revolutionize f1 designing.

Eliminating wind tunnel's for example would be a sigificant cost saving even using 60% cars.

Thoughts?

One thing I can say that if they will not use wind tunnels to verify the results of the CFD computation than they are in for a big surprise, a negative one.
And with teh huge limitations on CFD usage the wind tunnel usage (limited too) is a very welcome addition.

[ioan]

It said in that article that his job has become redundant.

Remember when Willis joined, it was to improve the reliability of Newey's designs following a lot of mechanical failures during the 2007 season.

Following the engine freeze and levelling among other things, reliability is barely an issue now, hence Willis is no longer needed.

Both Willis and Zander shouldn't have trouble finding jobs with new teams.

Ferrari could use someone who helps a bit with reliability, since Stepney left the Scuderia's reliability was pretty poor.

[wedge]

The most interesting team is Manor Grand Prix. The design company that Boothe - Manor's chief - has associated with is headed by Nick Wurth [remember Simtek and its tragic sojurn in f1].

They designed the Acura LMP1 car [Gil de Ferrarn's team] and they are designing the first f1 car that will use computer fluid dynamics exclusively - no wind tunnel.

I am no technical authority on f1 but if the Manor-Cosworth is successful in 2010 - I wonder if it could just revolutionize f1 designing.

Eliminating wind tunnel's for example would be a sigificant cost saving even using 60% cars.

Thoughts?

Wirth built up his own research company and I think with Acura LMP and Manor association is a good excuse to show off and further develop his business. Apparantly his simulators are best in the business.

Nice to see Nick back in F1 again as he was touted as the next Adrian Newey with Simtek and things didn't work at Benetton.

[jens]

Yes, the "silly season" with technical staff is certainly interesting too. 2010 could turn quite interesting and unpredictable once again as current top teams are losing key figures from their teams. But with Brawn's future being uncertain and Red Bull probably not having the biggest budget on the grid either, it seems plausible a factory team has been able to "outpay" those engineers into their teams. The question here is that which teams are we talking about here.

I personally hope Toyota hasn't been sleeping in this mess and has been able to lure at least one of them - either Zander or Willis - to finally develop into a real top team. The track record of those guys is so impressive that I think they could be an asset to basically any team on the grid really.

[Robinho]

Ferrari could use someone who helps a bit with reliability, since Stepney left the Scuderia's reliability was pretty poor.

which is ironic considering he was supposed to be saboteuging (sp?) the cars ;)

[ioan]

which is ironic considering he was supposed to be saboteuging (sp?) the cars ;)

Maybe they got him the first time he tried to sabotage them?! ;)

[ioan]

Well, well, John Iley leaves Ferrari with immediate effect.
What was Willis in charge of at Honda?
I wonder who will be the new head of aerodynamics at Ferrari?!

[I am evil Homer]

Wasn't he the general manager @ Brackley? I remember he stopped attending races when it was clear the cars weren't very good. Then It all became a mess really as Honda appointed Nakamoto as general manager and had Bruvera as head of aero.

[ioan]

Wasn't he the general manager @ Brackley? I remember he stopped attending races when it was clear the cars weren't very good. Then It all became a mess really as Honda appointed Nakamoto as general manager and had Bruvera as head of aero.

I think he was technical director or chief designer. Nakamoto was brought in in his place as Technical director.

Team manager was Nick Fry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Willis

[I am evil Homer]

Okay makes sense....but does that mean he's actually any good at aero design? Seems to me to be more of a manager type now than a hands on analyser of data and designing aero packages.

Either way I suspect he'll join another team next year (you'd imagine he has to go on gardening leave given how much he must know about RBR's development)