Мартин Уитмарш, CEO - chief executive officer Опции

[Марат]

Он же наш будущий (а по сути уже настоящий) Ген.Дир со всеми полномочиями и ответственностью.

Кто он и что мы о нем вообще знаем?!

(IMG:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Martin_Whitmarsh.jpg/300px-Martin_Whitmarsh.jpg)

Краткая справка: Мартин Уитмарш (более полного имени нет, видимо это все...), родился 29 Апреля 1958 года.

Не краткое раскрытие "заговора": В 1980 Мартин закончил Университет уже со степенью по Машиностроению - настоящий инженер и, как видно, очень смышленный и перспективный специалист...
Сразу идет работать по специальности в British Aerospace, (ныне BAE Systems), организация, на тот момент являющаяся бюджетной (первая часть гос.доли правда уже в 81-м была продана, а остальное в 85-м) и с момента основания в 1977 за два года объединила Hawker Siddeley Aviation (история которой началась в 1934-м как Hawker Siddeley Aircraft Co), Hawker Siddeley Dynamics (то же самое для непросвещенных, а именно отделение материнской компании, оформленное как другая организация и входящая в холдинг), British Aircraft Corporation (другая компания в 1960-м силами правительства, объединившая еще кучку компаний...), и далее Scottish Aviation (с 1938 года компания была и летной школой и, разумеется, производителем для нужд ВВС Британии во времена Второй Мировой Войны, ныне поделена и распродана, определенная часть принадлежит BAE Systems). В 1979 до кучи еще и Airbus приджойнился, но вроде только в кол-ве 20-ти процентной доли, и с 2001 до 2006 эта доля продавалась обладателю остальных 80-ти (Вы еще читаете??!) - EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company), и тут проявляется интересный момент:

Объединенная Европейская Компания EADS задумывалась как Англо-Германский союз (Аналогию видите? - Дальше круче!), а именно British Aerospace в погоне за оборонными контрактами и экспортом военной авиации и сопутствующих технологий (а гонялись за размахом Boeing, разумеется) в конце прошлого века пошла на слияние с DASA (Daimler Chrysler Aerospace) - Да! Не одним Мерседесом дышит Даймлер, это контора еще оборонкой от имени всей страны занята! Союз не оправдался, когда в 1998-м все уже было на мази, BAe (еще не Systems) все бросила и побежала за выставленным на продажу Британской General Electric Company готовым производством военной электроники - Marconi Electronic Systems. Идеей Ричарда Еванса (глава BAe) было не дать купить MES американцам, чтобы они не усилили своих позиций, и конечно Юрген Шремп (DASA) этих маневров не понял, оформив в 2000-м году слияние с Aérospatiale-Matra (Французы) и Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) (Испанцы). Так и получилось, что на 80% Airbus стал принадлежать новой организации под названием EADS (а сам Airbus переименовался в Airbus SAS) ведь раньше все эти доли были у всех 4-х стран и теперь Британия осталась особняком в лице BAe Systems (теперь название уже было таким, т.к. в 1999-м? объединив в себе и BAe и GEC компания сменила названия на New British Aerospace и далее на BAe Systems) и продала свои активы EADS в 2006.

Мы имеем возможность почувствовать масштаб организаций которые участвовали в судьбе нашей команды, одна подарила нам сотрудника, другая моторы. Надо сказать что событий начала не состоявшегося слияния в 1995 Мартин не застал, к 88-му году он уже поучаствовал в работе над разработками композитных материалов в качестве ведущего инженера и был переведен в должность управляющего производством на один из заводов (контора все это время отрабатывала гос.заказы и по контрактам поставки вооружений азиатам). А 89-м ушел в Макларен... Как? Кто его пригласил - все это неизвестно. Факт остается в том, что аэрокосмические технологии очень тесно связаны с Формулой 1, о чем говорит карьера многих инженеров и техников (вспоминается даже Найджел Мэнселл).

Первое серьезное повышение Мартин получает у нас в 1997-м, став уже менеджером в команде (Управляющий Директор - дословный перевод, что именно он делал постараемся выяснить позже), до этого он был главой производства (примерно таже должность, что и на заводе в BAe, только у нас зап.части на конвейере вроде не стоят...), а теперь он у нас CEO - chief executive officer, что в переводе означает - Генеральный Директор. А рядышком сидит Вице-президент Mercedes Motorsports, от Daimler'а...

(IMG:http://images.planetf1.com/08/03/240/Martin_Whitmarsh_748746.jpg)

А вы что расскажите?

[Марат]

что-то шефа понесло куда-то...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79297

McLaren worried about BMW team future

Whitmarsh said that is not comfortable with BMW Sauber's position, especially because one of Qadbak's representative, British businessman Russell King, recently had assets seized following a court investigation.

King had dealings with McLaren several years ago when he was involved in plans for a Dubai-based F1 team, which eventually failed to materialise.

Asked about the future of Qadbak and his thoughts on key individuals involved in the plans, Whitmarsh said: "I think you're referring to Russell King, and I have to say I started being concerned for Sauber when I heard his name."

врагов что-ли себе ищет...

речь о том, что один из функционеров Кадбака - некто Рассел Кинг, который артину известен по старым "делам", и что теперь он беспокоится за Заубер.

и здоровенное интервью с Сузуки:

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/10/10060.html

Exclusive interview with McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh Being team principal of McLaren is a very public job. At the start of the year Martin Whitmarsh slipped into that role so quietly and capably that the smooth operations of the Woking-based squad endured very little disruption.

But with his new job came new responsibilities and it’s only now, with the end to a tumultuous season in sight, that Whitmarsh has had time to appraise the ups and the downs of his first year…

Q: Martin, is Heikki Kovalainen going, is Kimi Raikkonen coming? When will you decide?
Martin Whitmarsh: The answer is simple. We have not determined a driver line-up yet and we haven’t set a timetable for doing so. We now have clarity about Ferrari’s drivers and we know now that other drivers are available. We try and give Heikki every opportunity to do a good job, Heikki is a very committed driver and a lovely chap, and we would like him to get some good results over the rest of the season. We are focusing on that and are not announcing a driver line-up for the moment.

- Мартин, Хейкки туда, Кими сюда? Когда уже?
- Ответ очень прост.. Мы ничего еще не решили. В Феррари все ясно и теперь мы знаем, что много пилотов на свободном рынке. Мы стараемся и даем Хейкки возможности делть дело. Он хорош во всем, и мы хотим, чтобы проявлял себя по ходу концовки сезона. Мы всецело придерживаемся этой линии и не объявляем состав.

Q: Will your announcement come within this season or over the winter?
MW: We have not made a decision on timing. We will continue to review the situation and, once we know, we will announce it.

- Объявите в конце сезона или зимой?
- Четкой даты нет. Мы следим за ситуацией, как только надо будет - объявим.

Q: You were reported as saying that McLaren wouldn’t have any problems with Kimi Raikkonen coming back. What exactly does that mean?
MW: Kimi is a fantastic driver, and I like him and know him well. He was with the team for five years. He is quick, he is committed and I think he probably would be very committed to beating Ferrari in the future - knowing him. All these are attractive things with Kimi. He is not political. He is absolutely straightforward - what you see is what you get with Kimi. And on top of that everyone knows that he is a winning driver. I think he has been underestimated technically. He is a very good racing driver and I think he would fit well in this team, if we choose to go down that route.

- Вы сказали, что возвращение Кими в команду не составит проблем. Что бы это значило?
- Кими весь такой офигенный, катался за нас 5 лет. Быстрый и, зная его, он вероятно будет очень рьян до побед над Феррари. Все это весьма привлекательно в Кими. Он не политик. Он - прямолиненйный лидер, делает свое дело. И сверху всех сливок, и все это знают, он - победитель. Думаю, что ему не давали возможности реализовывать потенциал. Он всем хорош и подойдет нам на все сто, если конечно судьба.

Q: You’ve emphasized that he is not political. Is that something McLaren looks for in its drivers?
MW: I think we are very fortunate at the moment as there is tremendous harmony in the team. Both our current drivers aren’t political. They are very open to one another and they genuinely like each other. Team mates don’t necessarily like each other - that is not a prerequisite. They have to be honest and open and not political, that is part of the ingredients needed this year. We started in a very poor state with a slow car and then we had other controversies at the beginning of the year. I have to say I am personally proud of how the team pulled together during the year. I credit that to the genuine harmony among people who enjoy working together. And for the future, whatever driver line-up we have, you want to have that.

Q: You are almost coming to the end of your first year as team principal. What have you learnt and what have been the highs and lows for you?
MW: I think I have learnt that being team principal is more significant than I’d expected. I’ve been with this team for 20 years and have been fortunate enough to be in senior positions. When I was made team principal I thought that was more symbolic than significant. I’ve been on the podium taking trophies for the team since 1993, but being up there in Hungary was a much bigger moment than I realized it was going to be. As for the low moments, I would say it was week 11, in Barcelona, when we realized that we were two and a half seconds off the pace, which was quite a shocking position to be in. So we had to go out and find a lot of time on teams who were still going forward. We had to improve at a much faster rate than them, which we’ve been able to do. Sure another low moment came with the controversy after the Australian Grand Prix. A proud moment was in Germany when we were second on the grid, and without the first corner puncture, Lewis (Hamilton) could have competed. And since Germany we’ve been competing with the chance of winning each of the races.

Q: Being team principal of McLaren is not an everyday job. Do people approach you differently than before?
MW: Within the team, no. Outside, inevitably, it has a higher profile. Being recognized as Lewis’s boss makes you a more public figure. Probably I underestimated that, and some of the pressures. Ron (Dennis) had been associated with this team for 30 years, so a lot of people naturally assumed that I was a clone of Ron. And perhaps by now people have realized that this is not the case. Now we have a different style of doing things. Hopefully we still have the classic strength that McLaren has always had, but we also try to be better in some things that we’ve not been good at in the past.

Q: You started the season badly by McLaren standards and worked your way up the grid again. Is this just down to the improvement of the chassis?
MW: One secret to making good progress is to start poorly! To be frank our car was uncompetitive at the beginning of the year. It was rather underdeveloped as we were pushing until the end of last season to win the championship. And after winning the championship it felt like the right decision. But at week 11 it felt wrong. We hadn’t been as adventurous in our interpretation of the rules like our competitors, such as with the double diffuser, so we had a lot of catching up to do. We have had to work hard as a team to get on the winning street again.

Q: Lewis has matured over the course of the season as a driver and as the team leader. How have you helped that process?
MW: It’s true, Lewis has matured a lot this year. I’ve known Lewis since he was a metre high and 11 years-old. Throughout his whole career until Formula One, or his first two years of F1 to be precise, he had a very unique experience, as he went to every race with the belief that he had equipment capable of winning that race. I think no driver in history has ever had that. To turn up this year, obviously without equipment capable of winning races, was quite a big shock to him as he had never experienced that. That and the controversy following Australia suddenly meant somebody who was on a roller-coaster only going up is suddenly going down. He has been idolized by fans, the media and the public and suddenly questions have been asked about him and he has been challenged by his uncompetitive situation. I think that the first half of this season was not pleasant for him - or any of us - but he came out of it a lot, lot stronger. When you are used to people saying nice things about you, and you suddenly read critical or attacking things, it is not easy. His great strength is his humanity, but in a way it is also a weakness as it gives him some vulnerability and some fragility. I think now he is a lot tougher, battle hardened if you like, and I think he will be stronger in the future.

Q: With only two races to go the focus must be on the 2010 car. How far along is that process?
MW: The car is very developed. Aerodynamically it is already superior to this car because we were able to work with the regulations as they are now being interpreted. So one can imagine that there is a relatively extreme double diffuser system on the car and it is quite a radical departure from this year’s car. We’re spending all our development resources on that project and it looks exciting. We will have a very competitive car next year, because frankly if not, you can’t win a championship as we did this year.

Q: There have been rumours of a rocky relationship between McLaren and Mercedes. What’s the reality?
MW: We’ve been together for 15 years. We have had some great wins but also inevitably we have had some disappointments in that relationship. But on a working level there is a very strong relationship as we both are committed to winning. Out of all the manufacturers Mercedes are the most committed at the moment. We’ve got a long-term contract with them so we will be working with them. Some of the speculation arises from Mercedes’ cooperation with some of the other teams, but we’ve encouraged that and allowed it. There have been many discussions about equity in McLaren and equity in Brawn and these discussions will go on. The fact that they are accruing this is encouraging to me because at least for the time being Mercedes have a strong commitment to Formula One.

Q: Lewis’s place in the drivers’ championship is almost irrelevant, but McLaren have the chance to oust Ferrari from P3 in the constructors’ standings. Is that your prime aim?
MW: Absolutely. From a number of points behind, we are now only two points adrift of Ferrari. We’ve got a tremendous respect for Ferrari and have a very constructive working relationship with them, which is probably a change from the majority of the last 30 years of that relationship. But of course we want to beat them. Not winning is disappointing, so if we can get ourselves to third - which is realistic - I would be very disappointed if we don’t beat them in the constructors’. It will be a good battle and I hope that we’ve got a little bit of an edge. You have to beat Kimi first and he can pull it out if he needs to pull it out.

и еще, Мартин об азиотизме:

Мартин Уитмарш: "Мы не раз слышали о том, что южнокорейская трасса в четырёх-пяти часах езды от ближайших населённых пунктов, что до неё крайне сложно добраться и болельщикам, и СМИ. Главная задача Формулы 1 и FOTA – увеличение зрелищности, лично я считаю, что приоритетным направлением должно стать возвращение чемпионата в Америку.

Во-первых, не должно быть никаких вопросов по Монреалю, командам нужна свободная неделя перед этой гонкой для доставки машин и оборудования. Во-вторых, необходимо задуматься об увеличении присутствия в Северной Америке – это большой рынок для компаний и спонсоров, при этом мы не должны ждать, что американские трассы заплатят так много, как азиатские.

Коммерческий вопрос испортил наши отношения с США, и мы должны заявить, что в случае необходимости готовы приехать бесплатно, просто для того, чтобы вернуть доверие аудитории".

[Fantom]

хорошо написал. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

меня больше всего конечно порадовали его комментарии насчет 4-25, которая уже вовсю создается.

И кстати, стоит отметить, что к Хейкки относятся очень хорошо в человеческом плане, хотя наверняка уже оценили его спортивные качества и приняли решение. Просто сама атмосфера в команде поражает.

Насчет приезда в Америку - полностью согласен. Если это выгодно командам и их бизнесу, то можно было бы съездить туда и бесплатно. Лишь потратиться на то, чтобы БЭ этому не воспротивился.)))