Giorgio Ascanelli has resigned from the Scuderia Toro Rosso outfit, the team confirmed on Wednesday.
Ascanelli has been with the team in the role of technical director since 2007, overseeing Sebastian Vettel’s maiden win at the Italian Grand Prix in 2008.
The news that Ascanelli was on his way out won’t come as a surprise to those in the know, as the Italian has been on ‘gardening leave’ since the German GP.
Team principal Franz Tost confirmed the departure.
“Over a period of almost five years, Giorgio has contributed positively to the development of our team,” said Tost. “Especially in the difficult transition period from a simple racing team to a fully-fledged constructor he made an important contribution and his undoubted experience was very valuable to us. We would like to thank him for his efforts and wish him all the best for the future.”
Ascanelli added: “I’ve enjoyed the past years working at Scuderia Toro Rosso. It has been a very intense and interesting time, in which we had to manage the transition from a small team to a much larger one, and everybody has put a lot of effort to bring us where we are today. We have sown the seeds for a successful future and I think the team challenge is now to gain a stable presence in the upper mid-field and I wish all at Toro Rosso the very best for the future.”
