Q&A with Steve Nielsen, Caterham F1 sporting director

Caterham F1 Team’s new Sporting Director Steve Nielsen nearly joined the team two years ago but held off, believing the time wasn’t right. So what’s changed? “It’s time to start moving up the grid a bit now, it’s time to deliver,” he says, “and that’s the sort of environment I thrive in.”

What’s your job title here and what will you role be?

The job title is Sporting Director, which is a position I held at another team [Renault] until recently, so I’m assuming the role will be similar. This is obviously a smaller team than I’ve been used to in the last few years but before my time at Renault I worked with a number of smaller teams. I think my role here will be broadly similar to what I’ve experienced before.

For those who don’t know, give us a quick run through your CV. You started with Team Lotus, didn’t you?

Yes, I was a truckie! That was way back in 1986. I stayed there until 1991. When I left I was the Spares Co-ordinator. Then I worked at Tyrrell. I went there to do the same job because, while Team Lotus hadn’t shut then, it was looking like it would probably go that way, and eventually it did – a year after I left. And I went to Tyrrell and became Assistant Team Manager there in 1995. I left there to go to Benetton briefly but then I went back to Tyrrell as Team Manager. Tyrrell offered me the job almost as soon as I’d left for Benetton. I think I was at Benetton for about six weeks or so! I stayed at Tyrrell until it closed and after that went to Honda as they were going to set up their own F1 team. About six months after we got there they had built a team from nothing but then they decided they didn’t want to do the project after all.

I’m used to doing start-ups from nothing. At Honda, I think there were four of us, four desks and four phones! I’m used to not having much to work with! After Honda I went to Arrows for a year and after that I went to Renault. I stayed with them from December 2000 until I came here.

Tony Fernandes wanted to bring you in right at the start of the Team Lotus project didn’t he?

Yes, I think we first thought about it nearly two years ago. Tony offered me a job, at the race in Singapore. But there really was nothing here then. It was an idea. A good one as it turned out. I had spoken to Mike [Gascoyne] about it and I really did consider it, but it just wasn’t quite right for me at the time.

I ‘ummed’ and ‘ahhed’ about it for a while and probably took a bit longer than I should have done to turn it down.

So I stayed at Renault another two years and then made the change when it was right for all of us.

What convinced you to make the move?

I was ready for a change in my career. When I went to Renault they were a team that was pretty much at the back of the grid and I’d like to think maybe I played a small part in moving the team up the grid – well, as one of the 400-odd other people that were there! But it was a nice feeling to go somewhere where a lot needed to be done and to find yourself in a situation where you could put your mark on the team. It was a situation where a lot did need doing but you very much had a free hand to do it your way. That was very interesting.

That’s really come to an end there now, though. We won championships in 2005 and 2006 and had a very successful few years. Renault then decided they wanted to sell the team and Genii Capital stepped in. It was great that they did as it kept everyone employed but I could really see that the things I had enjoyed there in my early years at the team were no longer the same. A lot of things were changing and it just felt like the right time for me to draw a line under it and explore something else.

I thought a lot about what was out there, had interviews with lots of people. I was lucky enough to have two or three offer but I chose this one – and hopefully I chose well.

Do you think Caterham F1 is a place where you can put your stamp on things? Is that something that motivates you and is that what drew you here?

I don’t know. I’m not a megalomaniac or anything! I hope not anyway. But I do like things to be done a particular way and it’s very frustrating to stand by and not have the influence you need to have in order for things to work properly. But I think that to come to a smaller team might give me the chance to really use the experience I’ve gained to the best advantage.

What’s you perception of the team so far?

I have no idea, I’ve just walked up the stairs! Ha, ha!

From an outsider’s point of view – and forgive me for using this well-worn phrase – it is clearly the best and most professional of the three new teams that have come into Formula One. That’s a nice accomplishment.

However, I get the feeling that now it’s time to start moving up the grid a bit; that it’s time to deliver. I’m sure everyone here wants the same. It’s no longer enough to beat Virgin [Marussia] and HRT, and that’s exactly the sort of environment I think I will thrive in. It’s the environment we had at Renault when I started there, moving from the back to the front, and also at previous teams. So I guess my perception is of a small team that is well run that needs to make the next leap forward.

You’ve worked with Mike before obviously?

I have worked with Mr Gascoyne previously! At a couple of teams. Though not recently. I think he left Renault in 2003 or something like that, so I haven’t worked with him in eight years. But for quite a while before that we worked together. I know Mike well and I know what he’s good at. Hopefully, we can pick up where we left off, spark off each other a bit and make some progress.

Let’s talk about F1 in general…

I’ll stop you there! Do you know, I’ve been in F1 every day for 26 years and when I left Renault I had three months of what they call ‘gardening leave’ and for the first time I actually decided to take it. I made a conscious decision to absolutely avoid Formula One for the whole of those three months, so I’m actually blissfully ignorant of anything that’s been said or announced over the past while!

That sounds great! Was it important for you to take that time out?

Yes, I think it is important to step back now and then. I ended up having three months gardening leave as a consequence of leaving one company and starting with another – it wasn’t something I sought. But having experienced it, after having had such a breakneck-speed schedule for years and years, I can thoroughly recommend it. It was really great, just for clearing my head and existing outside the motorsport world for a few weeks and months. It’s been great.

I spent some of that time at home. I spent a few weeks travelling around France, as my girlfriend’s French. I went and did some scuba diving to brush up my skills there. I did all sorts of stuff. I’ve seen a lot of friends and family. It’s been really good.

But, it’s time to get back down to work now and that’s something I’m really looking forward to as well. My first day at work is Monday the 12th and that’s the day I’ll get back to the world of motorsport. Then we’ll see just how far we can take Caterham F1.