MARCH 11, 1996
Engineers on the move
THE start of the new season has seen a surprising burst of engineers moving from team to team, with the most notable transfer being that of James Robinson, who is leaving McLaren to join Williams.
Robinson will take up a new position as chief of track engineering, overseeing the work of race engineers Jock Clear and TimÊPreston, while also coordinating the work between the race and test teams. The role has been created to take some of the pressure off Williams technical director Patrick Head. Robinson originally joined Williams back in 1984, and went on to engineer Nelson Piquet to his 1987 World Championship. He left Williams in 1989 to become chief engineer at Arrows but was replaced in 1990 by Alan Jenkins. He moved on to McLaren to work as a race engineer, but in recent years has not traveled with the McLaren race team.
Arrows is also losing one of its top design men with the departure of senior designer Dave Amey, who is expected to continue his links with Alan Jenkins on the staff of Stewart Grand Prix. Amey and Jenkins have worked together at both Onyx and Arrows. Another engineer who worked with Jenkins at Arrows is also on the move, Ferrari designer Andy Le Fleming having left John Barnard's Ferrari Design & Development facility. There are suggestions that Le Fleming will join Stewart although his name is also being linked with a job in touring car racing.