MAY 8, 2003

Whither Whitaker?

Ford's European motorsport director Martin Whitaker is leaving the company. No reason has been given for his departure.

Ford's European motorsport director Martin Whitaker is leaving the company. No reason has been given for his departure. Whitaker will be replaced by Jost Capito, a former sporting director of Sauber who has been working as head of Ford's special vehicle engineering unit in Cologne. Capito will now head the entire Ford Team RS operation which puts him in charge of the World Rally Championship program and Ford's partnership with Jordan Grand Prix in Formula 1.

Whitaker has long had links in F1 having worked for the FIA, FOM, McLaren and Sauber before moving to Ford. In recent years he has been offered jobs by Renault and BAR but none of the deals came to fruition. It will be interesting to see whether he pops up in F1 again.