Ferrari has made it official: Former McLaren engineer Pat Fry is joining the team on July 1 as assistant technical director.
The fairly quiet statement emphasizes that the current structure of the technical department won’t change. I wonder.
Here’s the release:
Ferrari announces that, as from 1st July, Pat Fry will join the Scuderia’s Technical Department.
46 year old Fry, who has previously worked for Benetton and McLaren, will take on the new role of Assistant Technical Director, reporting directly to Aldo Costa, while the current structure of the Technical Department remains unchanged.
That’s right, that’s all there is.
Coverage so far seems to be pretty thin as a result. Other stories out there are being s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d out by replaying Martin Whitmarsh’s comments when Fry left McLaren after 18 years.
So we will have to see how much of an impact Fry has on the team. Coming in mid-year, I’m tempted to think he’ll be tossed into the mix on the 2011 car while providing some input on this year’s car.
Reactions from readers? We talked a bit on the podcast about the team bringing in an outsider and that it perhaps harkens back to the Todt-Brawn years. Does Ferrari need such a foreign, steadying hand to counter the weight and sheer intimidation it might have on Italian workers? Is working for the Scuderia somehow almost too much for those who grew up in its shadow?
Why, in other words, is Ferrari having such trouble this year and last?
