Mike Gascoyne: Kovalainen, Caterham and Cost Reduction

Heikki Kovalainen is no longer under any illusions about his chances of securing a seat for the 2013 season, Mike Gascoyne believes he only has himself to blame, thus confirming, in a roundabout way, that the Finn will not continue his journey with Leafield: « Heikki is a very talented driver but, last year, his entourage did not manage him well and he did not really help himself. F1 is a very difficult environment for everyone. He spent three years with Caterham, he was well paid and he should have shown more respect in this regard, » confides to Crash.net the man nicknamed the “Bulldog.”

Heikki Kovalainen has indeed never hidden his desire to join a top team and was notably among the candidates to replace Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, while also being mentioned on the list of drivers likely to replace Felipe Massa at Ferrari. Refusing to pay for a seat, Heikki Kovalainen now has to face, in an economic crisis context, competition from promising and well-funded young drivers, such as Charles Pic, who will represent Caterham in the coming seasons.

If some believed that by securing the tenth place in the 2012 constructors’ standings, Tony Fernandes’ team would have the necessary funds to retain the Finnish driver’s services, it seems, however, that other priorities have been set to ensure the team’s sustainability: “I think the budget will be very tight this year while, financially, it’s tough for everyone,” analyzes Gascoyne. “We cannot expect this to happen overnight, but we want to make sure that the Caterham group is financially viable and that it gathers resources to register in Formula 1 for the long term. The goal is a constant investment to ensure that we are still here in five or ten years and to be a solid mid-grid team.”

After a 2012 season significantly below the expectations set at the beginning of the year, Mike Gascoyne admits it was unrealistic to expect Caterham to compete with teams that have been established in Formula 1 for years, if not decades: « One has to be realistic: if you look at the nine teams ahead of us, they have been in Formula 1 for twenty or thirty years, or even more. Many teams have tried their luck during this period and failed. Even by committing a small budget around 60 to 85 million euros, which is an enormous amount of money, you will probably invest 6 million euros in capital, but if you look at the cost of a wind tunnel and facilities, we’re talking about 250 to 370 million euros in equipment. Therefore, a relatively new team cannot reach that level. Of course, compelling stories are told and there were times last year where we were close, but one must be realistic. For a new outfit, entering Formula 1 and surviving, […] it’s quite difficult. »

For /f1/actualite/14841-kovalainen-ne-se-fait-guere-dillusions-pour-2013.html, Gascoyne is therefore more measured in the ambitions of Caterham, which he now manages in the automotive sector, setting as a priority the development of Caterham Group’s activities, which has partnered with Renault to revive the Alpine spirit: « We arrived and did serious work compared to other new teams. We have been professional but we took a step back and said to ourselves that we won’t succeed immediately, that we need to manage our budgets, make investments, and gather the resources that allow us to stay in the long term. Retaining our tenth place will be the priority [in /f1/actualite/14841-kovalainen-ne-se-fait-guere-dillusions-pour-2013.html] but what is important is the development of Caterham Group’s activities. If the group makes a profit, then the F1 project will have a long-term future. » And the Briton added: « Formula 1 does not pay. »

To address the almost abyssal imbalance today between the teams at each end of the grid, Gascoyne believes that implementing spending restriction measures would be a beneficial advancement for Formula 1: « The late 1990s and early 2000s were a time when it was simply a spending war. They tried to change that, and Max Mosley’s budget cap is something I continue to support because teams keep spending nearly 400 million euros to race in Formula 1 with two cars and twenty events. How is that justifiable at a time when we are environmentally and socially responsible? If twenty Caterhams painted in different colors were racing on a circuit, no one would notice anything: it would probably be a closely fought race, with a great atmosphere. We don’t need to spend nearly 400 million euros, but you have to spend 300 if the guy next to you spends 290: that’s how the bidding war happens. We should impose limits, we need a cap. It’s madness, but as long as those who make the rules hold the purse strings and make money this way, nothing will change. »