Formula One design guru Mike Gascoyne has reportedly initiated legal action against his former employers Force India after leaving the team at the end of the 2008 season.
According to Autosport.com, he is suing for damages of more than £2 million after his contract was terminated in November 2008, 12 months before the three-year deal was due to end.
It reports that is taking his case to London’s High Court in order to seek $2.5 million in wages due for the final year of his deal, plus at least a percentage of the potential $5 million (USD) that he could have earned had he taken up a two-year contract extension option, as well as benefits such as life insurance.
Gascoyne had been with Silverstone-based Force India since its launch, having been Chief Technology Officer at Spyker, the team’s previous incarnation.
He came with as good a pedigree as anyone in F1, having worked for McLaren, Tyrell, Benetton, Jordan and Toyota.
But in 2008, at the end of the team’s first season, owner Vijay Mallya decided on a root-and-branch shake-up that saw Gascoyne and team principal Colin Kolles dispensed with in favour of a technical partnership with McLaren-Mercedes.
Mallya took over direct control of the team, saying it was one of the most challenging projects he had ever worked on.