Sergio Rinland
Encyclopedia
Sergio Rinland is an Argentine
engineer best known for his work in Formula One
. He is currently Owner and Managing Director of the Automotive Engineering and Management consulting company Astauto Ltd.
, Argentina
on March 17, 1952, Rinland studied Mechanical Engineering
at Argentina's Universidad Nacional del Sur, graduating in 1978. After two years working in Argentina's F2, he moved to England in 1980, where he soon found a job as a designer for PRS, a small Formula Ford
constructor owned by Vic Holman, where he designed their Formula Ford 1600 and Formula Ford 2000 cars for the 1982 and 1983 seasons, with success in the UK, Europe and US. After a short spell working for Ron Tauranac
at Ralt
, Rinland was hired by the RAM
F1 team in to work on the design team, first with Dave Kelly and in 1985 with Gustav Brunner
where they produced the RAM 03. For , he moved on to Williams
and was part of the design team of the very successful FW11
, led by Patrick Head
.
In , Rinland joined Brabham where he designed the Brabham BT56
together with David North and John Baldwin. At the end of 1987, Brabham temporarily withdrew from F1 allowing Rinland to moved to Dallara
to design its first F1 car raced by BMS Scuderia Italia in . Brabham returned in calling Rinland back as Chief Designer, a position he kept until the end of 1991. There, Rinland designed the Brabham BT58
, Brabham BT59 and the ground-breaking Brabham BT60-Yamaha.
Rinland then established his own design company, Astauto Ltd in Tolworth, England. Astauto was then hired to design and build the F1 cars for Fondmetal
. The car only did few races in 1992 before the team closed down due to financial difficulties. The Fondmetal GR02 was hailed as a very innovative design by reputable publications.
Rinland then was hired by Dan Gurney
's All American Racers in the U.S. where he worked in the feasibility study of the Toyota Champ Car for CART.
Returning to Europe in 1995, Rinland worked briefly for the new Forti
team and soon after was hired to work in the German Touring Car Championship
with Opel by Keke Rosberg
for the remaining of the 1995 season.
From to , Rinland worked for Benetton
Formula 1 Team. At the end of 1999 Rinland was head-hunted by the Sauber
F1 team to become their Chief Designer. As a Chief Designer he was responsible for the C20
, Sauber's most successful F1 car to that point. This car featured several innovations, the most notable being the "Twin Keel" front suspension.
By September 2001 Rinland was tempted to join Arrows
as a Chief Designer but one year later the team ran into financial difficulties and closed down.
After Arrows, Rinland decided to develop his consultancy company Astauto Ltd, doing work for Pankl GmbH, the Austrian F1 supplier, VLR Touring Car Team, Red Bull Cheever Racing in IRL, Coloni and Trident Racing in GP2
and Team Modena in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Le Mans Series
for 2006 and 2007. In 2006 he also gained an MBA degree from Kingston University London.
From December 2007 to January 2011, Rinland was Engineering Director of Epsilon Euskadi
in Spain as well as developing his consultancy companies in Europe and the US. In his capacity at Epsilon Euskadi, Rinland was responsible for the 2008 Le Mans campaign as well as other racing and non-racing projects of the company.
From February 2011 Rinland is solely involved in running his consultancy company Astauto Ltd in Europe, US and South America.
Rinland has one sister, Liliana, and two brothers, Gabriel and David.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
engineer best known for his work in Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
. He is currently Owner and Managing Director of the Automotive Engineering and Management consulting company Astauto Ltd.
Career
Born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
on March 17, 1952, Rinland studied Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
at Argentina's Universidad Nacional del Sur, graduating in 1978. After two years working in Argentina's F2, he moved to England in 1980, where he soon found a job as a designer for PRS, a small Formula Ford
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
constructor owned by Vic Holman, where he designed their Formula Ford 1600 and Formula Ford 2000 cars for the 1982 and 1983 seasons, with success in the UK, Europe and US. After a short spell working for Ron Tauranac
Ron Tauranac
Ron Tauranac is the former Australian designer for Formula One driver Jack Brabham from 1962 until Brabham's retirement as a driver at the end of the 1970 season. Tauranac briefly owned and managed the Brabham team in 1971, but he sold the team to Bernie Ecclestone in late 1971...
at Ralt
Ralt
RALT was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s under the RALT name...
, Rinland was hired by the RAM
RAM Racing
RAM Racing was a Formula One racing team which competed during the racing seasons of 1976 to 1985. The team entered other manufacturers' chassis from 1976 to 1980, then ran March's team from 1981 to 1983, only entering a car entirely their own in 1984 and 1985.The team was formed in 1975 by Mike...
F1 team in to work on the design team, first with Dave Kelly and in 1985 with Gustav Brunner
Gustav Brunner
Gustav Brunner is an Austrian Formula One designer and engineer. He was born on 12 September 1950 , and got his start in racing car design at the German-based constructor McNamara. He first entered F1 in a brief spell working for the ATS team in 1978, before designing cars for Formula Two and...
where they produced the RAM 03. For , he moved on to Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
and was part of the design team of the very successful FW11
Williams FW11
The Williams FW11 was a Formula One car designed by Patrick Head and Frank Dernie as a serious challenger to McLaren and their MP4/2 car. The car took over from where the FW10 left off at the end of , when that car won the last three races of the season...
, led by Patrick Head
Patrick Head
Patrick Head , is co-founder and Engineering Director of the Williams Formula One team.For 25 years from Head was technical director at Williams Grand Prix Engineering, and responsible for many innovations within Formula One. Head oversaw the design and construction of Williams cars until May 2004...
.
In , Rinland joined Brabham where he designed the Brabham BT56
Brabham BT56
The Brabham BT56 was a Formula One car designed by John Baldwin and Sergio Rinland and raced by the Brabham team in the 1987 Formula One season. The car was powered by the Straight 4 turbocharged BMW engine and raced on Goodyear tyres. Brabham finished 8th in the 1987 Constructors Championship with...
together with David North and John Baldwin. At the end of 1987, Brabham temporarily withdrew from F1 allowing Rinland to moved to Dallara
Dallara
Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993...
to design its first F1 car raced by BMS Scuderia Italia in . Brabham returned in calling Rinland back as Chief Designer, a position he kept until the end of 1991. There, Rinland designed the Brabham BT58
Brabham BT58
The Brabham BT58 was a Formula One racing car designed by John Baldwin and Sergio Rinland for the Brabham team which raced in the 1989 Formula One season. The teams cars were driven by Italian Stefano Modena and the 1988 World Sportscar Champion, the returning Martin Brundle. It made its debut at...
, Brabham BT59 and the ground-breaking Brabham BT60-Yamaha.
Rinland then established his own design company, Astauto Ltd in Tolworth, England. Astauto was then hired to design and build the F1 cars for Fondmetal
Fondmetal
Fondmetal is a Italian wheel manufacturer, founded by Gabriele Rumi.It also was a Formula One constructor from 1991 through 1992, as well as a Formula One engine supplier in 2000 and sponsor of several teams throughout this period...
. The car only did few races in 1992 before the team closed down due to financial difficulties. The Fondmetal GR02 was hailed as a very innovative design by reputable publications.
Rinland then was hired by Dan Gurney
Dan Gurney
Daniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...
's All American Racers in the U.S. where he worked in the feasibility study of the Toyota Champ Car for CART.
Returning to Europe in 1995, Rinland worked briefly for the new Forti
Forti
Forti Corse, commonly known as Forti, was an Italian motor racing team chiefly known for its brief, and unsuccessful, involvement in Formula One in the mid-1990s. It was established in the late 1970s and competed in lower formulae for two decades...
team and soon after was hired to work in the German Touring Car Championship
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters is a touring car racing series based in Germany, but also with rounds elsewhere in Europe....
with Opel by Keke Rosberg
Keke Rosberg
Keijo Erik Rosberg , nicknamed "Keke", is a Finnish former racing driver and winner of the Formula One World Championship. He was the first Finnish driver to compete regularly in the series. Rosberg grew up in Oulu and Iisalmi, Finland...
for the remaining of the 1995 season.
From to , Rinland worked for Benetton
Benetton Formula
Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...
Formula 1 Team. At the end of 1999 Rinland was head-hunted by the Sauber
Sauber
Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993....
F1 team to become their Chief Designer. As a Chief Designer he was responsible for the C20
Sauber C20
The Sauber C20 was the car with which the Sauber Formula One team competed in the 2001 Formula One season. It was powered by a Petronas-branded '01A' 3.0-litre V10 , supplied by Scuderia Ferrari...
, Sauber's most successful F1 car to that point. This car featured several innovations, the most notable being the "Twin Keel" front suspension.
By September 2001 Rinland was tempted to join Arrows
Arrows
Arrows Grand Prix International was a British Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins :...
as a Chief Designer but one year later the team ran into financial difficulties and closed down.
After Arrows, Rinland decided to develop his consultancy company Astauto Ltd, doing work for Pankl GmbH, the Austrian F1 supplier, VLR Touring Car Team, Red Bull Cheever Racing in IRL, Coloni and Trident Racing in GP2
GP2 Series
The GP2 Series, GP2 for short, is a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecclestone also has the rights to the name GP1...
and Team Modena in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
for 2006 and 2007. In 2006 he also gained an MBA degree from Kingston University London.
From December 2007 to January 2011, Rinland was Engineering Director of Epsilon Euskadi
Epsilon Euskadi
EPIC Racing is a racing team from Spain, and a division of Spanish company Epsilon Euskadi. The team's headquarters are located in Azkoitia . It is the only major motorsport team from the Basque Country,...
in Spain as well as developing his consultancy companies in Europe and the US. In his capacity at Epsilon Euskadi, Rinland was responsible for the 2008 Le Mans campaign as well as other racing and non-racing projects of the company.
From February 2011 Rinland is solely involved in running his consultancy company Astauto Ltd in Europe, US and South America.
Personal
Rinland is married to Analia and has a daughter, Jessica.Rinland has one sister, Liliana, and two brothers, Gabriel and David.