Tuesday 15 March 2016 08:29, UK
Sauber have suffered a fresh blow on the eve of the 2016 season with the departure of technical director Mark Smith.
According to the Swiss outfit, who have endured a turbulent twelve months on and off the track, Smith 'has decided to go back to the UK for family reasons' and 'has already left the company.'
The much-travelled Smith, who was previously technical director at Red Bull and Caterham, only joined Sauber in July.
The team have endured arguably the most troubled twelve months in their history.
A year ago, the team's preparations for the season-opening Australian GP were plunged into crisis when Giedo van der Garde, adamant he had a binding contract to drive in 2015, took Sauber to court in Melbourne before settling for "significant compensation".
The season that followed on the track was largely forgettable and Smith's departure is just the latest setback the team have already endured this year following the late launch of their new car and the team's failure to pay their staff's salaries for February in full on time.
The first race of the 2016 F1 season, the Australian GP, is exclusively live on Sky Sports F1. The race in Melbourne starts at 5am on Sunday March 20.
