The Sauber F1 Team have confirmed that Technical Director Mark Smith has left the team, citing family reasons for his unexpected departure. He has already returned to the UK. Mark Smith joined Sauber in 2014 having held Technical Director positions with the Caterham F1 Team and Force India.

The 2016 C35 was the first car from the Hinwil to originate entirely from Mark Smith’s design. This news follows a troubling few weeks for the Swiss team during which it had been confirmed a number of employees were not paid in full for the month of February.