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interview that appeared in autosport
Here is the interview that appeared in Autosport confirming what was said in the interview we saw on the Canadian broadcast:
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Ex-BAR boss Craig Pollock says he wouldn’t have been allowed to make the changes to the team David Richards has forced through.
Richards last month announced a major shake-up at BAR, axing 50 staff including engineering director Malcolm Oastler and designer Andy Green. Pollock has given his backing to the reshuffle and says he would have done the same, had he been allowed.
He told Autosport magazine: "David Richards, the new team principal, has his hands far less tied than I did. He is implementing what should probably have been done a year or 18 months ago.
"My biggest regret is that the team couldn’t succeed fast enough under my direction. The mistake was made conceptually in the structure of the company originally. There are three different shareholders – myself, Adrian Reynard and British American Tobacco – and each has different rights linked into their shareholding.
"My particular shareholding had no right to touch the technical side of the team. And that is where things went wrong. A team principal has to be 100 per cent in charge, but I could not change the technical leadership.
"What has happened in the past few weeks I strongly believe should have happened earlier. That is not because I don’t like or respect the guys who had to leave, but in business it’s not just a question of liking or respecting."
But Pollock believes the benefit of Richards’ shake-up may not become clear for some time yet.
He said: "When you shake the apple tree there are going to be some apples falling out of it. I think there’s going to be a step backwards to take a step forwards at BAR."
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