Renault reveals start date for new tech boss Pat Fry

The Renault F1 Team will welcome Pat Fry, its new chassis technical director, at Enstone next Monday.

The former McLaren engineer who oversaw the design of the Woking-based outfit's 2019 MCL34 will replace former tech chief Nick Chester.

Fry initially joined McLaren in 1993 for a seventeen-year spell that lasted until he joined Ferrari in 2010.

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He remained in Maranello until the end of a disappointing 2014 season, when the Scuderia recruited James Allison as its technical director.

Following a short stint as a consultant for Manor during the 2016 season, Fry then rejoined McLaren.

Renault's five-year plan, initiated in 2016, to chase down F1's front-runners and challenge for the title in 2021 appears to be lagging by a couple of years, which in turn has incited the manufacturer to boost its engineering resources.

Fry's high-profile hiring by Renault at the end of last year followed the recruitment of former Williams engineer Dirk de Beer who will work under Fry and head the French outfit's aero department.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.