Mike Coughlan
Encyclopedia
Mike Coughlan is a race car designer. On 3 May 2011 it was announced that Coughlan will become the Chief Designer for Williams F1. Previously he has been the Chief Designer for the McLaren Formula One
team from to , where he was suspended for his part in the spy scandal
between McLaren and Ferrari
before his contract was subsequently terminated.
, and studied Mechanical Engineering at Brunel University
, graduating in 1981. He first designed cars for Tiga Race Cars
, which competed in junior formulae, until 1984
, when he joined the Lotus
Formula One team. As the team's fortunes waned, it was reorganised at the end of 1990
, and Coughlan joined John Barnard
's design company as it switched between producing chassis for Benetton
, Ferrari
and Arrows
. Barnard parted company with Arrows after falling out with Tom Walkinshaw
during the 1998 season
, but Coughlan stayed on, taking the role of Technical Director in the following year. When Arrows collapsed in 2002
, he was invited to join McLaren.
His A23
car, developed in 2002 for Arrows before the team folded, became the Super Aguri team's SA05
racecar four years later.
The search warrant is understood to have related to Coughlan's home and the "positive outcome" is reported to be documents claimed to have originated at Ferrari's Maranello
factory. Stepney's dismissal from Ferrari had been announced earlier the same day. On 6 July Honda F1
released a statement confirming that Stepney and Coughlan approached the team regarding "job opportunities" in June 2007. Since the revelation of Coughlan's involvement in the affair McLaren provided a full set of drawings and development documents to the FIA, detailing all updates made to the team's chassis since the incident occurred at the end of April.
in late 2009 when the Serbian team was trying to gain an entry into Formula One for the season.
armoured vehicle.
Michael Waltrip Racing, Couglan and the Williams F1 team reached a settlement, the terms of which were not disclosed, on October 18, 2011; the lawsuit was dismissed as part of that settlement.
and chief aerodynamic Jon Tomlinson
announced their departure from the team at the end of the 2011 season.
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
team from to , where he was suspended for his part in the spy scandal
2007 Formula One espionage controversy
The 2007 Formula One espionage controversy, also known as "Spygate," or "Stepneygate" involves allegations that the McLaren Formula One team was passed confidential technical information from the Ferrari team, and that the Renault F1 team was passed confidential technical information from the...
between McLaren and Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
before his contract was subsequently terminated.
Early career
Coughlan was born in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and studied Mechanical Engineering at Brunel University
Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
, graduating in 1981. He first designed cars for Tiga Race Cars
Tiga Race Cars
Tiga Race Cars Ltd. was a British auto racing constructor and team. The company was founded in 1974 by two former Formula 1 drivers, Australian Tim Schenken and New Zealander Howden Ganley. The company's name was formed by the first two letters of Tim and Ganley...
, which competed in junior formulae, until 1984
1984 Formula One season
The 1984 Formula One season was the 35th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1984 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1984 Fomula One World Championship for Manufacturers which were contested concurrently over a sixteen race series which commenced on March 25,...
, when he joined the Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
Formula One team. As the team's fortunes waned, it was reorganised at the end of 1990
1990 Formula One season
The 1990 Formula One season was the 41st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1990 FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 11, 1990 and ended on November 4 after sixteen races...
, and Coughlan joined John Barnard
John Barnard
John Barnard is a race car designer and is currently working alongside Terence Woodgate designing high specification carbon fibre furniture....
's design company as it switched between producing chassis for Benetton
Benetton Formula
Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...
, Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
and Arrows
Arrows
Arrows Grand Prix International was a British Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins :...
. Barnard parted company with Arrows after falling out with Tom Walkinshaw
Tom Walkinshaw
Tom Walkinshaw was a Scottish racing car driver and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing...
during the 1998 season
1998 Formula One season
The 1998 Formula One season was the 49th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 8, 1998, and ended on November 1 after sixteen races.-Season summary:...
, but Coughlan stayed on, taking the role of Technical Director in the following year. When Arrows collapsed in 2002
2002 Formula One season
The 2002 Formula One season was the 53rd FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 3, 2002, and ended on October 13 after seventeen races....
, he was invited to join McLaren.
His A23
Arrows A23
The Arrows A23 is a Formula One racing car, used by the Arrows team during the 2002 Formula One season.-Arrows racing history:Designed by Mike Coughlan, the A23 featured a Cosworth V10 engine rather than the Asiatech unit used in the previous year's A22...
car, developed in 2002 for Arrows before the team folded, became the Super Aguri team's SA05
Super Aguri SA05
The Super Aguri SA05 was the car with which the Super Aguri team competed in the first half of the Formula One season. It originally was developed from the Arrows A23 designed in 2002 by Mike Coughlan....
racecar four years later.
Ferrari espionage case
On 3 July 2007, Coughlan was suspended by McLaren following allegations of espionage against Ferrari. A Scuderia Ferrari press release said:The search warrant is understood to have related to Coughlan's home and the "positive outcome" is reported to be documents claimed to have originated at Ferrari's Maranello
Maranello
Maranello is a town and comune in the region of Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy, 18 km from Modena, with a population of 16,841 as of 2009. It is best known as the home of Ferrari S.p.A. and the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One racing team...
factory. Stepney's dismissal from Ferrari had been announced earlier the same day. On 6 July Honda F1
Honda F1
Honda Racing F1 Team was a Formula One team run by Japanese car manufacturer Honda, from 1964 to 1968 and from 2006 to 2008. Honda's involvement in F1 began with the 1964 season; their withdrawal in 1968 was precipitated by the death of Honda driver Jo Schlesser during the 1968 French Grand Prix. ...
released a statement confirming that Stepney and Coughlan approached the team regarding "job opportunities" in June 2007. Since the revelation of Coughlan's involvement in the affair McLaren provided a full set of drawings and development documents to the FIA, detailing all updates made to the team's chassis since the incident occurred at the end of April.
Stefan GP
Coughlan worked for Stefan Grand PrixStefan Grand Prix
Stefan Grand Prix is a proposed Serbian Formula One team named after its creator, Zoran Stefanović. The team was attempting to compete in the 2010 Formula One season. Its initial application was one of those rejected in July 2009 and although the team persisted in its attempts to gain an entry, it...
in late 2009 when the Serbian team was trying to gain an entry into Formula One for the season.
Ocelot
Coughlan led the project for the design of the OcelotOcelot (vehicle)
The Force Protection Ocelot is an armoured vehicle that is scheduled to replace the United Kingdom's Snatch Land Rover with British forces in Afghanistan and Iraq...
armoured vehicle.
Michael Waltrip Racing
Coughlan was hired by Michael Waltrip Racing as director of vehicle design where he was responsible for overseeing all design, production, engineering and quality control programs. He left the team prior to the end of his contract to join the Williams Formula One. Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) sued Coughlan and the Williams F1 team in U.S. District Court in Charlotte. The complaint asserted that Coughlan breached his contract by leaving the team prior to the end of the contract and also asserted that Williams Formula One interfered with the contract by hiring Coughlan. The lawsuit alleged that Coughlan's departure impacted the team's performance, resulting in a loss of prize money and potential sponsorship.Michael Waltrip Racing, Couglan and the Williams F1 team reached a settlement, the terms of which were not disclosed, on October 18, 2011; the lawsuit was dismissed as part of that settlement.
Williams Formula One Team
On 3 May 2011 it was announced that Coughlan was hired by the Williams team as the chief engineer of the F1 outfit. This decision came after the Williams F1 team decided it needed a change in approach to put them back on the front row of the grid. The then technical director Sam MichaelSam Michael
Samuel David "Sam" Michael is technical director of WilliamsF1, a Formula One constructor. He was born in Western Australia and grew up in Canberra. After studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of New South Wales with a thesis on data acquisition systems for racing cars, he worked with...
and chief aerodynamic Jon Tomlinson
Jon Tomlinson
Jon Tomlinson was a member of the Williams Formula One team, working in the role Chief Aerodynamicist. Tomlinson's former department design and test a range of components for the Williams cars in two on-site wind tunnels, one of which can accommodate a full-size car.-Career:In 1995 he was...
announced their departure from the team at the end of the 2011 season.