Renault’s engine chief Rob White has expressed concern over the recruitment of Gilles Simon from the FIA to new engine manufacturer P.U.R.E.
Simon has previously worked for Ferrari as head of the engine and electronics department before moving to the FIA as the head of powertrain, he therefore has vast knowledge of the current engines and, not only that, but the current developments surrounding the new V6 formula which is to be introduced in 2014.
P.U.R.E, a new supplier which hopes to enter the sport in 2014 recently recruited Simon from the FIA to join as Technical Director.
This move has created some discomfort among the current engine suppliers who have openly allowed Simon access to their current development program, therefore gifting sensitive knowledge to P.U.R.E.
White said he hoped the information Simon holds wouldn’t be shared with his new employer.
“First reactions are fairly predictable and understandable from my part,” said White on Friday. “On a personal and professional level, we’ve had good relations with Gilles for a long time in his present – for a couple more days – job, and in his previous job at Ferrari.
“Of course, it’s of concern to all of us that in this close relationship with Gilles and the FIA over the past year, 18 months, that we’ve given unprecedented access to Gilles – we certainly have at Renault and I believe all of the engine companies have done so, particularly in respect of the state of progress in our respective engine development programmes alongside the rules package.
“And so, of course, we would be most concerned to be reassured that information to which Gilles has had access to in those very privileged circumstances as a representative of the FIA is not used in his new capacity as an employee of a competitor.”
When asked if the move to P.U.R.E should be blocked, as happened with Charlie Whiting, White added: “It’s a very complicated sport. In order that the technical and sporting regulations can be administered successfully, then we require the governing body to have good people and they probably require to have access to the teams, and therefore there’s an obvious risk that needs to be managed, if the same people can crop up in a different shirt very shortly afterwards.”
