29/01/2005
NEWS STORY
It would appear that the situation at Jordan is a little worse than first thought.
In the wake of the buy-out of the team confirmed by Eddie Jordan on Monday, Pitpass heard talk of minor cull within the Silverstone factory, with several key members of staff being shown the exit with virtually no notice. According to various sources, the new management intends to make its mark as quickly as possible.
It's now believed that technical director Mark Smith has left the team, just weeks after returning to the team from Renault.
According to reports, Smith is deeply unhappy at what has been happening at Jordan in recent days and in particular the way the issue has been dealt with. Furthermore, with Dallara building Midland's 2006 car he may have felt it better to jump than be pushed.
The whole buy-out has many F1 insiders baffled and convinced that it will end in tears. Although the purchase of a an existing team - as opposed to starting from scratch - makes perfect sense, Midland F1 doesn't appear to have gone about things in the best possible manner.
Apart from the fact that it has taken on Jordan whilst already having a contract with Dallara to build its 2006 car, there is the issue appointment of Trevor Carlin as sporting director. Many believe that the appointment of Colin Kolles, as managing director, will simply cause conflict between the two, much as we have previously witnessed at Jaguar
Smith's plans are unclear, but it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that he could link up with former boss Mike Gascoyne at Toyota.
Meanwhile, whilst on the subject of unceremonial dumpings, we hear that both Tony Purnell and David Pitchforth were subjected to the 'black bin liner and forced march out the front door routine' at Milton Keynes, with Helmut Marko and a "henchman" allegedly on hand to ensure the job was done properly. We understand that Purnell and Pitchforth, who are both on 'gardening leave' were refused permission to say farewell to their colleagues.