Gascoyne claims damages from Force India

The former Technical Director of Force India, Mike Gascoyne, filed a lawsuit against his former team on Thursday. The man is claiming damages following his dismissal at the end of November 2008. The Briton was supposed to serve one more year with the team to honor his contract.

The document filed with the High Court of London seeks compensation amounting to 2 million pounds, which is currently over 2.3 million euros. This amount would compensate for the Englishman’s non-payment in the 2009 season, equivalent to what he should have received as Technical Director for one more year.

Other fees, corresponding to the loss of earnings if he had renewed his contract for an additional two years, are being claimed. The total amount of compensation would therefore exceed 5 million Euros.

Vijay Mallya made changes to his team at the end of the 2008 season. Other engineers were thus let go. This was actually to welcome the management team from Mercedes-Benz, which now provides engines to the Indian team.

Mallya, the director of the Force India team, then declared: « This F1 team is one of the most important projects I have been able to accomplish in my life. But if I want it to continue, I must take steps to restructure and thus ensure maximum productivity. »

The case is now in the hands of the British justice system. We will, of course, keep you informed of developments.