MAY 6, 2002

Thomson goes to Asiatech

THE Asiatech firm admits that it is building up towards becoming a Formula 1 team in its own right and the latest confirmation of this is the hiring of one of Formula 1's most experienced composite designers Ian Thomson.

Thomson has been working in F1 composite design since the early 1980s when he worked with Patrick Head at Williams. After a brief spell with March Engineering's Comtec offshoot he went to join John Barnard's Ferrari Guildford Technical Office where he stayed for several years before being given the chance to head the composite design team at Sauber. He stayed with the Swiss team for 11 years and it was only last year that he decided to take up an offer to work for Prost Grand Prix in Paris. Unfortunately by the time he arrived the team was on its last legs.

He is now working with Enrique Scalabroni at the Asiatech design department, located at the old Williams factory in Didcot. Back where he started...