Q&A: David Pitchforth - managing director, Jaguar.

David Pitchforth, Managing Director, Jaguar Racing explains why the team hasn't appointed a technical director, the design philosophy behind the new R4 and a lot, lot more...

Q:
David [Pitchforth]. Why has Jaguar Racing not appointed a technical director?

David Pitchforth:
The two most senior technical positions in Jaguar Racing's new management structure are engineering director and chief engineer - in fact, you could say we've split the traditional technical director role into two halves, and these positions are those two halves. The guys we've put in these positions - Ian Pocock [engineering director, Jaguar Racing] and Malcolm Oastler [chief engineer, Jaguar Racing] - complement each other in terms of their skill-sets. Ian will have a very managerial role, which will allow Malcolm to concentrate on the engineering nitty-gritty.

Q:
What specific positive effects will splitting the technical director's role confer?

DP:
It'll give Malcolm the freedom to get involved at an in-depth level in whatever aspect of the car he wants to get involved in at any given moment, without being hampered by the distractions that would inevitably constrain him if he had a traditional technical director's job description. So if, say, he wants to get involved in an aero issue, he'll be able to stroll over and see Ben Agathangelou [head of aerodynamics, Jaguar Racing]; if, say, he wants to get involved in a mechanical design issue, he'll be able to stroll over and see Rob Taylor [head of vehicle design, Jaguar Racing]; and the same applies if he wants to get involved in the areas controlled by Mark Gillan [head of vehicle performance, Jaguar Racing] or our soon to be announced head of vehicle science.

Hopefully, this rigorous new structure will prevent what I call 'cattle prod syndrome' - which is where a whole lot of people have a little poke at a whole lot of problems, leading to a whole lot of duplication of their efforts. And 'cattle prod syndrome' is maybe something that Jaguar Racing has suffered from a bit in the past.

Meanwhile, Ian will be free to devote the necessary time to stuff like negotiating the way Jaguar Racing works within the Ford Motor Company, with Cosworth Racing, with Pi Research, with Michelin and so on, from an operational as well as a budgetary point of view, at the same time as taking care of all the managerial aspects of running the technical side of an F1 team.

Q:
And what is your role at Jaguar Racing, precisely?

DP:
Throughout the latter half of 2002 I took on the brunt of what will from now on be the engineering director's role, in the sense that I was effectively project leader of R4 from July 2002 onwards. But from 2003 onwards, I'll be able to concentrate on the managing director role.

I've worked in motorsport for some years, but I originate from the 'real world' of vehicle manufacture. And that's important, I think. Because although F1 is traditionally regarded as the zenith of automotive engineering, in many ways it isn't - or, I should say, in many ways there are lessons it can learn from the 'real world'. Okay, in the 'real world' a component might be made out of cast iron instead of titanium, but the way it's been engineered and tested adheres rigorously to written guidelines. In other words, you're not shooting from the hip in the same way as you are, traditionally, in F1. And it's important that we eliminate some of that shooting from the hip, because of what I call 'London bus syndrome'. In other words, if a traditional technical director gets hit by a London bus, his team is in big trouble - because, in F1, technical directors and chief designers and senior engineers are irreplaceable... apparently. But they shouldn't be. And it's going to be my job at Jaguar Racing to instigate an ultra-rigorous way of working that ensures they won't be.

Q:
But won't all the emphasis on rigour stifle design creativity?

DP:
I don't think so. Why should it? It's best practice. Besides, Jaguar Racing isn't attempting to win the World Championship in 2003; we're attempting to lay solid best practice foundations in terms of design, engineering, testing and working systems on which we can build in 2003 and beyond.

Q:
Tell us... what is the design philosophy behind the 2003 Jaguar R4?

DP:
We learned an awful lot of lessons last season from the R3 and even though we began the season with a less than satisfactory race car, we actually finished the season with a sound platform that has benefited some areas on R4. With that in mind, we have not taken a radical approach to R4. Some would say that we have gone back to basics but overall, we have opted for a conventional, low risk and robust design with the aim being to show lineage to the successful modifications to the R3 and best engineering practice.

Q:
Where has the philosophy come from?

DP:
The philosophy for the R4 actually started with the R3. We wanted to take the R3 and develop it so it responded logically to the changes and could be used as a platform for the R4. We started with the aerodynamics and from there progressed through the entire R3 structure, ensuring a continuous process of development. The lineage with the R3 is clear. We basically looked at everything to see where there was room for improvement.

Q:
Which areas have you focused on in particular?

DP:
We focused on absolutely everything to ensure that we contest the season with a race car that is capable of being competitive and finishing races reliably. It sounds obvious, I know, but that's not how Jaguar Racing began last season and by the time we had worked out the problems with R3, most of the season had passed us by. For this season, we have targeted maximum and continuous aerodynamic downforce development and efficiency whilst maintaining the balance capability of the package. Ben Agathangelou (head of aerodynamics) has undertaken some very diligent work in this area and the benefits of our own windtunnel are paying dividends. Ben's experience and process-led approach has helped us generate a significantly clearer path towards our end target on downforce - something that is on-going throughout the season. It is fair to say however, that we didn't extract the maximum from the Michelin rubber last year and given the competitive edge that tyres have to offer in this business, we have worked very closely with Michelin to better understand the issues we needed to address on R4.

Q:
What about the people behind the philosophy?

DP:
We have clearly laid down responsibility within the team, by specifying the details of the car and the guidelines as to its design. There is no doubt that everyone involved in Jaguar Racing understands their responsibility for the design of the car. We have limited duplication by doing this and ensured that the key people are working in their area of strength. These people have become disciplined in delivering to deadlines, as a result of the work that was carried out on the R3 late in the season, the R4 had to be designed to a tight time-line. It is this sort of company ethos that we will look to carry forward with us in the build-up to R5. This philosophy is not just at Jaguar Racing, but also throughout both Cosworth Racing and Pi. By pulling our resources together and building on our relationship the responsibility factor has only strengthened. R4 has very much been the first step along the road to including all engineering and operation departments in the design of the car. As we move closer to R5, input will be expected from mechanics and electrical specialists, a truly holistic approach is now being taken.

Q:
You have a brand-new 90-degree V10 Cosworth engine for 2003. What can you tell us about this?

DP:
The Cosworth CR-5 V10 is an all-new engine. It is the first time Cosworth has raced with a 90-degree engine layout and the key benefit as opposed to a 72-degree engine is improving the centre of gravity. Cosworth has done an excellent engineering job on the CR-5 and in addition to the 90-degree V-angle, a lot of clever work has been undertaken on the packaging. It's new ground for Cosworth Racing and it's certainly new ground for Jaguar Racing in that we have always raced with a 72-degree engine. The benefits of improving the centre of gravity cannot be overstated and coupled with the fact that the power band has been pushed even higher, we are naturally excited about the powerplant for this season. There is, however, a lot of development work ahead of us at all levels and until qualifying begins in Melbourne, it is impossible to make predictions at this stage.