Spyker set for major mid-season redesign

Gascoyne only arrived at the team in November, having spent six months on paid leave following his dismissal from Toyota after last year's Australian Grand Prix.

With the design of Spyker's new challenger already well advanced under the guidance of technical director James Key, Gascoyne has instead spent his time focusing on more longer-term developments and restructuring.

That means he will have virtually no input into the Ferrari-powered car that starts the season, although his influence should be felt from mid-season onwards.

It is understood that the team could go as far as introducing a new spec model from the midway point of the campaign, which would feature a number of improvements introduced as a result of Gascoyne's inputs.

Speaking in this week's issue of Autosport magazine, Gascoyne said that he was not looking for quick fixes for the team.

"There's absolutely no point in changing too much at the moment," said Gascoyne. "We're restructuring for the future - I'm not concentrating on Melbourne because I can't turn things around in that time frame."

Gascoyne has a good track record of turning teams around, having achieved varied levels of success at Jordan, Renault and Toyota after settling on a long-term strategy of improvement following his arrival.