Ferrari fires aerodynamic boss Iley
La Gazzetta said a "serious" mistake in the area of the aerodynamics has been identified as the root of the 2009 car's problems.
41-year-old Iley, who joined Ferrari from Renault in 2004, reportedly reached an agreement with the team after the German grand prix for an immediate departure. It has been agreed that he will not join a rival team for at least six months, but is already being linked with a return to working with former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn.
Iley's responsibilities for the time being have been taken over by Nicholas Tombazis.
07/22/09 Gazzetta dello Sport, the leading Italian sports newspaper, is reporting that Ferrari's head of aerodynamics John Iley has left the team, following the failure of the F60 to be as competitive as earlier machinery. The first wind tunnel models of the 2010 car are now being prepared for testing and it seems that Ferrari may now decide to put most of its efforts into this as the F60 has only improved a little since the start of the year. Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen consistently report that the car lacks downforce. It is anticipated that Iley will have to spend the next six months on "gardening leave" and so will not be available to other teams for the 2010 cars. The 41-year-old Englishman has been with Ferrari since 2004 when he was hired from Renault. It is not yet clear who will take over the role at Maranello but Nic Tombazis could step into the role. The departure of Iley is the second major shake-up of staff at Ferrari in recent months, following the removal of head of racing operations Luca Baldisserri. This is a clear sign that Ferrari is not willing to drift back into also-ran status.