Malcolm Oastler (born 24 April 1959) is the former technical director of

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

BAR Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

, former chief engineer for Jaguar Racing, and designer of many race cars. Oastler was born in Sydney, Australia. A keen motorsport enthusiast and driver from a young age, he earned a first class honours degree in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, an ...

from the

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

University of Technology An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

. Oastler embarked on a driving career in the early 1980s, and was particularly successful in the Australian

Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula For ...

championship. Deciding to try his luck in the European motorsport scene, Oastler relocated to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1985, but without any real financial back found it very tough to campaign in any series there. He was working as a

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...

for Milldent Motorsport in Leicestershire in exchange for part-time drives in British

Formula Ford 2000 Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula Ford ...

. In 1986 his engineering talents were recognised and he joined the

Reynard Reynard the Fox is a literary cycle of medieval allegorical Dutch, English, French and German fables. The first extant versions of the cycle date from the second half of the 12th century. The genre was popular throughout the Late Middle Ages, a ...

company as a designer. Oastler was responsible for many designs at Reynard in racing categories such as Formula Ford, Formula Ford 2000,

Formula 3000 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 ...

and IndyCar. Oastler's Reynard design for the first Formula 3000 series was especially strong, and his chassis design went on to win five international titles. After the Formula 3000 success, Oastler led the IndyCar design from the start of the project. His Reynard 95I chassis went on to win eight races in total, including the Indy 500 and started from pole position no less than thirteen times. In 1998 Oastler was

seconded In deliberative bodies a second to a proposed motion is an indication that there is at least one person besides the mover that is interested in seeing the motion come before the meeting. It does not necessarily indicate that the seconder favors th ...

to the newly formed BAR team in a chief designer role. As such he was responsible for all design and enhancement work done on the 1999 ''BAR 01'' car, and also much work done on the 1998 Tyrrell ''026''. (BAR was founded on the remains of the Tyrrell F1 team and actually competed under the Tyrrell name for the 1998 season. The name British American Racing was first seen on the track for the 1999 season.) During the 1999 season Oastler was promoted to the role of technical director, but that role reverted to the BAR-partnered Reynard company in 2000 which left Oastler back at the chief designer position. BAR management was taken over by David Richards for 2002 and Oastler soon found himself out of the team. During that season he resurfaced at Jaguar Racing and worked on their upcoming ''R4'' chassis for the 2002 season, and was named Jaguar's chief engineer for 2003 and 2004. During the Jaguar F1 team's tumultuous final season in 2004, Oastler decided to retire from professional motorsport, with the team thanking him for his contribution. He has since returned to his native Australia to set up several rural ventures. Oastler is married to Joanna and has three daughters, Charlotte, Chloe and Kate. Oastler has maintained an interest and involvement with motorsport within Australia. This has included competing in the

Australian Hillclimb Championship The Australian Hillclimb Championship is a CAMS sanctioned motor sport competition which determines Australia's annual hillclimbing champion. The championship has traditionally been awarded to the driver setting fastest time at a single meetingPe ...

, a category in which he is a 5 time champion. Oastler also shares his various quirky engineering adventures through
YouTube channel
regularly featuring him working in his best thongs.

References

External links

Profile at grandprix.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oastler, Malcolm 1959 births Living people Formula One designers University of New South Wales alumni Australian motorsport people