Cosworth restructures F1 department

Hayes joined the Ford-owned competition engine specialist as a designer in the F1 department in 1984, rising to become its technical director with overall responsibility for all engineering within the company, including F1, WRC and Champ Car power units. He feels that now is an appropriate time to hand over responsibility to the next generation of engineers, in view of the current moves towards new F1 engine regulations.

Cosworth's Race Engineering team will concentrate on ongoing track support, development and implementation and will be headed by Corbyn, a veteran of the company's graduate programme. The Future Engines team will focus on developing engines to suit changing requirements, such as 'long-life' engines and other specification changes likely to be defined by the FIA in the near future. Hitzinger led the team that developed the successful Ford Duratec R engine for the World Rally Championship. The two divisions will collaborate closely with each other and with Cosworth's F1 partners.



Commenting on the changes, Cosworth Racing MD Tim Routsis said: "Obviously it is with sadness that Nick leaves the company, having made an enormous contribution to Cosworth's success over the years. However, these are changing times in the sport of F1 and we must react to those changes and adapt our practices accordingly. I'm confident that the teams of engineers under Simon and Alex will bring innovative thinking to the development of Cosworth's future F1 engines. Our target to develop the benchmark engine in F1 is a bold one, but one we feel that we can achieve."