Cauchi speaks out after engineer shuffle
Red Bull Racing Australia engineer David Cauchi says the engineering restructure on Jamie Whincup's car for the Castrol EDGE Townsville 400 was a positive change for the group.
While he admitted he would have loved to continue as race engineer for car #1 - with Mark Dutton set to remain in the role for the rest of 2015 - Cauchi knew a change could trigger a much needed upturn in results for Whincup.
The six-time and defending Champion faces the largest points deficit he has ever seen with Triple Eight, 391 points behind Mark Winterbottom, as he fights for an unprecedented seventh title in V8 Supercars.
Cauchi said part of the change was to put as much knowledge and expertise behind each car as possible, with Dutton adding that the role change meant Cauchi faced less pressure and was able to focus on engineering for performance.
"It wasn't necessarily something I wanted - I'd still love to be race engineering car #1, no question about that - but I think as a team we all thought that the best way forward was to make a little bit of a change. And change often brings positive things and I think this weekend it has done," Cauchi told v8supercars.com.au.
"We're not performing where we want to be and we really need to start sorting that out really quickly because time is, sort of, getting away from us...
"Working with Dutto, Grant [McPherson, Lowndes' engineer] and J-Dub all closely, we had a positive weekend. We feel like we made progress on the car, and that we can see a bit more light at the end of the tunnel."
Cauchi said the biggest change to his role was not being on the radio to Whincup or planning the sessions in Townsville.
"There were some differences, but still very heavily involved with it all and still happy to be involved," he said.
"Still happy [at Red Bull] and rapt to be working on car #1 as an engineer. Nowhere else I'd rather be right now. It's tough times, everyone's digging deep but no one's given up yet and we will fight to the end."
Cauchi engineered Whincup to his 2014 title in what was effectively his second year as a race engineer. He had spent the majority of the previous year with Dean Fiore at Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport, with an engineer provided to the team as part of Triple Eight's customer support package, and was shifted into Red Bull to run the five-time winner last season.
Dutton believed there was enormous pressure in the position and praised Cauchi's skills and his assistance within the Townsville structure.
"Cauchi was on form this weekend," Dutton told v8supercars.com.au.
"It achieved what we wanted to in the sense that I think the pressure and all the outside influence was affecting him and not allowing him to work ... to his full potential.
"This weekend he was unstoppable, he was so helpful, made such a difference - partly because the change of roles for him took that little bit of pressure off and he could think without distractions and really shine - and he did.
"So it was a team effort. We're by no means out of the woods but there's a bit of a glimmer at the end of the tunnel."
While most other teams run both a race and data engineer on each car, Red Bull has had just one central data engineer. This change means there is effectively more smarts on each car, as the team also looks to help Craig Lowndes to the 2015 Championship, who sits second in the order.
"I think as a team we have to look at our engineering structure at the race track and I don't think what we have been doing has been working as well as it could or should be - other teams with their engineering structures are doing a better job," Cauchi said.
"It's so competitive ... anyone can win a race on any given day and it's he who does the best job on the day, he who adapts to the conditions, and the strategy - all those things. There's so many things you need to have working for you over the weekend and then during the race for the wins.
"So we need to keep on and make sure we are on top of our engineering game and make sure we have the structure to do that."
