OCTOBER 30, 2001

Nasser out!

It is expected to be announced later today that Jacques Nasser has been dropped as president and chief executive of the Ford Motor Company.

IT is expected to be announced later today that Jacques Nasser has been dropped as president and chief executive of the Ford Motor Company. This could have a profound effect on the future of Jaguar Racing in F1. Nasser was the man behind the Jaguar F1 idea and any replacement may wipe out the program because of its lack of success and its huge costs. Jaguar Racing boss Niki Lauda seems to be aware of that possibility as he is now trumpeting the fact that he intends to make Ford's Premier Performance Division self-funding. This will be a remarkable achievement if he can do it but in doing so he is risking diluting the efforts by selling technology and material to customers.