BAR's new boss David Richards revealed last week his plan for a major personnel overhaul at the unrested team. Will Gray talked exclusively to the former boss and current shareholder Craig Pollock - about the reasons he stepped down, about the upcoming changes, and the power structure at the BAR top

The staff cuts at British American Racing that were revealed before the Brazilian Grand Prix came as a shock to many, but as new team principal David Richards considers his next move, former BAR chief Craig Pollock is confident the changes are the start of a new direction for the team. And it could eventually see both the old and new bosses with more control.

Pollock, who remains a shareholder in BAR despite his disposal from the management side of the team, claims the arrival of Richards has introduced a crucial structural change.

The former boss revealed he had demanded the personnel changes to be made almost one and a half years ago as he looked to re-structure the team in the chase for success - but he did not have the power to put the proposal into action.

He developed the team with Adrian Reynard, the owner of the now-defunct eponymous racecar manufacturer and, with 50 percent held by British American Tobacco, the pair took the other 50 percent shareholding, which was split with 35 percent going Pollock's way and the remaining 15 percent held by Reynard.

But despite Pollock being the public face of control at BAR in the past, he now admits that the original management set-up bizarrely left him little say in the running of the team.

"The technical control during my time, in reality, came under the shareholding which was run by Adrian Reynard," revealed Pollock. "So I couldn't do (a change like the one made by Richards). I had voiced my concerns but it appears that he (Richards) has more of a free hand than I had.

"It is something that should have been happening in the team about a year and a half ago and a lot of it has been suggested both directly and indirectly for the last year and a half.

"I condone it. I think it's totally correct. He (Richards) is making the right moves and in fact I don't think it is what has been done but rather what is going to happen as of now and what is going to come."

It seems almost as if Pollock's step down could even lead to a step up in control within BAR, as there are plenty of questions over Reynard's future as a shareholder in the team.

Pollock has stated it is Reynard and not his bankrupt company that owns the 15 percent share and although that means BAR will not be directly affected, it is possible Reynard will look into selling the shares - and it is thought Pollock has the first option.

With the current value of Grand Prix racing in decline, however, this leaves the pair in a confusing situation. Should Reynard sell? Should Pollock buy? It all depends on the success of Richards. But then again Richards, if he is successful, is sure to want to capitalise on that and is likely to be looking for a way onto the board in the long term.

Pollock, on the other hand, is still chasing his dream. Manager of BAR driver Jacques Villeneuve for 10 years now, Pollock still wants to create the team that takes him to another World Championship. And he believes he still has a big part to play in the future.

"In reality it will take very little to put it back on the right line, which we are going to see," he said. "I don't think I failed. The reality is the initial structure of the team potentially failed but I am actually extremely proud of what has been set up here.

"I have a voice now on the board but the day-to-day running of the team is left to the management. I have still got the best interest of the team at heart and I have all the obligations of a director of a company - which David doesn't have. He remains as an employee of the team. He has got no shares in the team. He is, at the moment, here to take care of the day-to-day management of the team."

The dramatic staff changes could be seen as a measure to make the team a more attractive financial concern as the value of Grand Prix teams shrinks to lower levels. BAR, from the outside, looks like a slick, well financed operation but, like a number of teams on the Grand Prix grid, it is having to take a serious look at cashflow as the sponsorship rate card drops.

Pollock, however, insists the changes are a move to effectively clear out the scraps and develop a leaner team, and revealed that he had tried to get new technical director Geoff Willis to join the team from Williams but was once again stopped by the previous management structure.

"I think Geoff Willis is going to do a fantastic job," he said. "He is more than a key man. I tried to get him in a year earlier and in reality I was blocked from getting him in by the team. I'd thrown in a suggestion but it wasn't structured in that area the best way.

"I think (the change) is just to getting things into line. The team itself is a fantastic team but it is a few key people inside the team that had to be changed to be able to make changes elsewhere - because in the end you are only as good as the people.

"The team has some excellent designers but I also believe that the quality of the product that is coming out in the design area has to reflect that. I think the team has made the first steps in the right direction."

That direction could be the arrival of Richards' Prodrive company as a new shareholer - but it is apparent that such a move can only happen if Pollock wants it to.

He insists that British American Tobbaco are not expected to pull out of the team as a shareholder when the ban on tobacco advertising is introduced in 2006.

And with an apparent option on Reynard's share, Pollock could end up with a controlling stake in the team. One thing is for certain, and that is Pollock, as he says, did not drop out. In fact, he is very much in control.