Asiatech

Asiatech was the trade name of Asia Motor Technologies France, a company founded in 2000 by Japanese private capital under the leadership of Dr. John Gano and Enrique Scalabroni, which purchased the assets of the Peugeot Formula One programme at the end of the 2000 season. Its mandate was to acquire top-level European engine technology for Asia and to create an Asian-themed F1 team. It increased staffing from 170 to 221 employees, supplied its engines in development for testing at no cost to minor teams in 2001 and 2002, and had designed and presented the wind-tunnel model of its original F1 chassis when its Japanese private funding failed in 2002. Asiatech returned the staff and facilities it has acquired back to Peugeot and wound down at the end of the 2002 season.

In 2001, Asiatech supplied their V10 engines to the Arrows Formula One team free of charge. For 2002 it tried for better results with Minardi. In that year, Arrows, that rented Cosworth engines, ran out of funding in mid-season 2002 and was liquidated. In that 2002 season, Asiatech´s engine reliability increased to finish in fourth place out of the 9 F1 engine suppliers, tied with BMW for reliability. Four out of the Minardi team’s 14 retirements during the season were engine-related.

During this season, Asiatech began considering the possibility of starting their own Formula One team, and purchased a former Williams design office in Didcot. They also enlisted the help of Enrique Scalabroni, who designed a prototype F1 car. The car was to be firstly a testbed for Asiatech engines, then subsequently entered in the 2004 season. However, Asiatech folded at the end of the 2002 season.

In May 2002, there were reports that for the 2003 season Asiatech could supply Jordan with engines, or even buy the team out. These came after Honda decided to concentrate their engine efforts on the BAR team, and announced they would be withdrawing supply from Eddie Jordan's team at the end of the 2002 season. When its Japanese private funding was cut off during the 2002 season, it announced its winding down on November 3, 2002, with staff returning to Peugeot or moving on to Renault and other F1 engine programs.

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