Steve Nichols MP4/4 interview

[Hoffman900]

A very good listen:


An expanded interview talking about his whole history:

[Fulcrum]

A very good listen:


An expanded interview talking about his whole history:

I posted this in the 'New Videos' thread 2 days ago, which seemed a more appropriate place than an entirely new thread.

https://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewt ... 9#p1023519

[TEHNOS]

This topic certainly deserves new thread.

[jjn9128]

It's an interesting interview, but does anyone really think the technical bosses at F1 teams are drafting the whole car?! The whole thing is a bit sad, seems like the clique formed at McLaren who didn't want oversight and resented Murray being hired. Murray obviously had more of an oversight role, but is the one assigning staff and signing things off.

[Giando]

Wow, just wow. An incredible interview.

The now declassified McLaren technical-team letter is a huge surprise, at least to me.

Super interesting... and what a pleasure to go back in time to those days where all technical innovations
were still designed or at least conceptualized on paper and not fully on a computer and by just a bunch of guys... imho, that era was the pinnacle of motorsport in terms of fascination.

Thanks for posting the video.

[Hoffman900]

It's an interesting interview, but does anyone really think the technical bosses at F1 teams are drafting the whole car?! The whole thing is a bit sad, seems like the clique formed at McLaren who didn't want oversight and resented Murray being hired. Murray obviously had more of an oversight role, but is the one assigning staff and signing things off.

I think this is all a response to this:https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/arch ... -interview
and this rebuttal: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/arti ... 4-4-claims

It's all pretty damning for Gordon, who always came across as bit pompous to me. It's one thing to claim "well I was the technical director and our team designed it" vs. perpetuating some myth that he was this design genius who basically came in and threw out what Mclaren had been doing and showed them the way. Gordon's story can't be corroborated by anyone. The Mclaren technical team letter from that period was pretty eye opening.

Ian Bamsey shouldn't get a pass on this either. I suspect Steve being American (as opposed to being British) had something to do with that

[jjn9128]

Yeah I read that. There's a good point at the end of the motorsport article that both Murray and Nichols have cars coming which advertise themselves as being from the mind which produced the most successful F1 car ever.

I think the truth will lie somewhere in the middle of what both say.

[Hoffman900]

Yeah I read that. There's a good point at the end of the motorsport article that both Murray and Nichols have cars coming which advertise themselves as being from the mind which produced the most successful F1 car ever.

I think the truth will lie somewhere in the middle of what both say.

I agree, but I lean more towards Steve, given the technical letter as well as others in the technical team who still seem jilted over Gordon claiming credit.

I just finished Beast about the Ilmor Mercedes 500i. Most of how that was handled is how to lead people and give credit where credit is due.

[jjn9128]

Yeah you're probably right. I kinda like the Murray philosophy of "add lightness" so maybe I'm biased. The technical documents just show what I think the reality of being a tech director is though - you assign tasks and come down occasionally from upstairs to throw a wrench in the works

[Hoffman900]

Yeah you're probably right. I kinda like the Murray philosophy of "add lightness" so maybe I'm biased. The technical documents just show what I think the reality of being a tech director is though - you assign tasks and come down occasionally from upstairs to throw a wrench in the works

Oh exactly, this is all engineering management. I've been there, I saw my job playing political football and protecting my technical staff from it so they could do their job.

[Big Tea]

[Stu]

https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/55344576.jpg

Oh yeah, I want a full appraisal of this in two days time!

[Hoffman900]

Listened to the full length. The Ferrari part is as interesting and then his return to Mclaren, the whole third pedal (which was really a spoof off a farm tractor) and Ferrari getting it banned and trying to get the system they just banned approved for themselves is great.

[Giando]

Did i catch it correctly when he says that the infamous 1990 Portuguese GP in Estoril start - when Mansell drove into Prost letting the two McLaren to lead the race - was actually caused by the paranoia of Nigel and the consequent choice to not mount the so-called traction control system they were testing at the time and approved by Alain?

[TEHNOS]

Did i catch it correctly when he says that the infamous 1990 Portuguese GP in Estoril start - when Mansell drove into Prost letting the two McLaren to lead the race - was actually caused by the paranoia of Nigel and the consequent choice to not mount the so-called traction control system they were testing at the time and approved by Alain?

Yes, he refused to use "screw the Nigel button".