Jean-Claude Migeot

16/1/1953

Record updated

Jean-Claude Migeot
Migeot was a student of the Ecole Nationale Superieure de l'Aeronautique et de l'Espace, France's celebrated aerospace school in Toulouse. He qualified as an aeronautical engineer and was hired almost immediately by the Renault Sport F1 team. A pupil of Marcel Hubert early in his Renault career he later became head of the team's aerodynamic research team and stayed with Renault Sport until the team was closed down in 1985. Along with several Renault men he moved to Ferrari, where he began working alongside technical director Harvey Postlethwaite. For the next three years the pair worked together and when Postlethwaite fell from favor in 1988 Migeot followed him to Tyrrell. Together they produced the radical Tyrrell-DFR 019 which debuted in 1990 and revolutionized F1 frontal aerodynamics with its raised nose. The car scored some fine results in the hands of Jean Alesi. Migeot was suddenly a man in demand and was lured back to Ferrari in 1991 where he worked with Steve Nichols to produce the unusual double-floored F92A. This failed and led to Migeot's departure from Ferrari early in 1993. Later in the year he established Fondmetal Technologies in partnership with wheel magnate Gabriele Rumi. The company was based at Casumaro and ran an impressive 50% rolling road windtunnel, which Rumi had bought after the company which built it had gone bankrupt. An agreement was signed for Fondmetal Technologies to work with Tyrrell. Migeot played an important role developing the Hydrolink suspension system but when this was debuted in 1995 it proved to make the cars very difficult to drive and the Tyrrell-Fondmetal relationship faded away. A new relationship was established with Benetton at the start of 1996 and this lasted until the end of 1998 by which time Rumi had bought control of Minardi. A two-year agreement was signed for Migeot's company to work with Minardi in 1999 and 2000. Fondmetal Technologies also does development work outside F1 and for the motor industry.

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