Official: Ascanelli resigns at Toro Rosso

05/09/2012

Toro Rosso has announced that Giorgio Ascanelli has resigned from his post as Technical Director.

"Over a period of almost five years, Giorgio has contributed positively to the development of our team" said team boss Franz Tost. "Especially in the difficult transition period from a simple racing team to a fully-fledged constructor he made an important contribution and his undoubted experience was very valuable to us. We would like to thank him for his efforts and wish him all the best for the future."

"I've enjoyed the past years working at Scuderia Toro Rosso," added Ascanelli. "It has been a very intense and interesting time, in which we had to manage the transition from a small team to a much larger one, and everybody has put a lot of effort to bring us where we are today. We have sown the seeds for a successful future and I think the team challenge is now to gain a stable presence in the upper mid-field and I wish all at Toro Rosso the very best for the future."

It is believed that Ascanelli, who is understood to have fallen out with the team over the Silverstone GP weekend, will be replaced by James Key who left Sauber days before the launch of the Swiss team's 2012 car.