Michael Coughlan was born on 17 February 1959 and is a British motor racing engineer and designer.
16 Facts About Mike Coughlan
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Mike Coughlan was Chief Designer for the McLaren Formula One team from 2002 to 2007, where he was suspended for his part in the spygate scandal between McLaren and Ferrari, before his contract was terminated.
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Mike Coughlan was then Chief Technical Officer for Williams F1 from June 2011 to July 2013, before abruptly stepping down "with immediate effect," according to the team.
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Mike Coughlan studied mechanical engineering at Brunel University, graduating in 1981.
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Mike Coughlan first designed cars for Tiga Race Cars, which competed in junior formulae, until 1984, when he joined the Lotus Formula One team.
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Barnard parted company with Arrows after falling out with Tom Walkinshaw during the 1998 season, but Mike Coughlan stayed on, taking the role of Technical Director in the following year.
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On 3 July 2007, Mike Coughlan was suspended by McLaren following allegations of espionage against Ferrari.
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On 6 July Honda F1 released a statement confirming that Stepney and Mike Coughlan approached the team regarding "job opportunities" in June 2007.
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Mike Coughlan worked for Stefan Grand Prix in late 2009 when the Serbian team was trying to gain an entry into Formula One for the 2010 season.
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Mike Coughlan led the design of the composite body of the Ocelot armoured vehicle.
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Mike Coughlan was hired by Michael Waltrip Racing as director of vehicle design where he was responsible for overseeing all design, production, engineering and quality control programs.
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Mike Coughlan left the team prior to the end of his contract to join the Williams Formula One.
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The complaint asserted that Mike Coughlan breached his contract by leaving the team prior to the end of the contract and asserted that Williams Formula One interfered with the contract by hiring Mike Coughlan.
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The lawsuit alleged that Mike Coughlan's departure impacted the team's performance, resulting in a loss of prize money and potential sponsorship.
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On 3 May 2011 it was announced that Mike Coughlan was hired by the Williams F1 team as the chief engineer, in part replacing the then technical director Sam Michael and chief aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson.
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Mike Coughlan was released by Richard Childress Racing in April 2017.