Mark Smith (born 9 March 1961) is the former technical director of the Sauber

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

team.

Early life

Smith grew up in

Pelsall Pelsall is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. Forming part of the borough's border with Staffordshire, Pelsall is located 4 miles north of central Walsall, midway between the towns of Bloxwich and Brownhil ...

, a village about 15 miles north of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. He left school to undertake a technical apprenticeship with GKN Automotive who sponsored him to undertake a mechanical engineering degree course at the

Wolverhampton Polytechnic The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mech ...

, from which he graduated with a first-class honours degree in 1984.

Motorsport career

Having participated in motocross as a youngster, Smith subsequently developed an interest in

. His first job in the motorsport industry was in 1988 at Comtec, the composites wing of March Engineering. From there he joined Reynard Racing Cars in 1989 and started working with Gary Anderson, initially on the 1990

F3000 Formula 3000 (F3000) was a type of open wheel, single seater formula racing, occupying the tier immediately below Formula One and above Formula Three. It was so named because the cars were powered by 3.0 L engines. Formula 3000 championships ...

car. In 1990, Smith moved to the newly formed Jordan Grand Prix, where he helped to design the

Jordan 191 The Jordan 191 was a Formula One car designed by Gary Anderson for use by Jordan Grand Prix in its debut season in 1991. Its best finish was in Canada and Mexico, where Andrea de Cesaris drove it to fourth place at both races. Driving the 191 at ...

under Anderson, taking responsibility for the gearbox design and engine installation. He stayed at Jordan for 11 years, progressing to the positions of head of mechanical design, and then joint chief designer with

Mike Gascoyne Michael Robert Gascoyne (born 2 April 1963) is a British Formula One designer and engineer. Gascoyne has worked for numerous Grand Prix teams including McLaren, Sauber, Tyrrell, Jordan (later known as Midland F1, Spyker, Force India, Racing P ...

. In 2000, Smith followed Gascoyne to

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

, taking the position of chief designer. After a brief return to Jordan as it transitioned to new ownership, Smith moved to Red Bull Racing in 2005, firstly as deputy technical director and then technical director before moving to

Force India Force India Formula One Team Limited, commonly known as Force India and later Sahara Force India, was a Formula One racing team and constructor based in Silverstone, United Kingdom, with an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 20 ...

as Design Director in 2007. Two years later he was promoted to technical director before moving to Caterham in 2011. He left in 2014 as the struggling team restructured its management in what would be its final season. Smith was appointed technical director of Sauber F1 Team on 13 July 2015 but left the team a few days before the first race of the 2016 season, with Sauber announcing that he was returning to the UK for "family reasons".

Career timeline

* Chief designer – Jordan Grand Prix (1998–2001). * Chief designer – Benetton (2001). * Chief designer –

Formula One team (2002–2004). * Technical director – Jordan Grand Prix (2004–2005). * Deputy technical director – Red Bull Racing (2005). * Technical director – Red Bull Racing (2005–2008). * Design director –

Formula One team (2008–2010). * Technical director – Force India Formula One team (2010–2011). * Technical director –

Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport categories including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar, and sports car racing. More ...

/ Caterham Formula One team (2011–2014). * Technical director – Sauber Formula One team (2015–2016).

References

External links

Profile at Sauber F1 Team website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Mark British motorsport designers Formula One designers Living people People from Pelsall 1961 births Sauber Motorsport