By JULIE ASH
Prada's design director, Doug Peterson, said he was fired after differences with syndicate head Patrizio Bertelli.
"I was terminated. He has the right to terminate anyone he wants," he said yesterday.
"I think it was mostly Bertelli against me, I don't think there was any turmoil in the team. It is a strong team."
Bertelli said the two disagreed over how their boat programme should develop.
Peterson was a shock departure from Prada on Thursday, after just one day of racing in the Louis Vuitton challenger series.
Bertelli, who has a fierce reputation and is reputed to be an autocratic leader, said yesterday that he had not sacked Peterson, but admitted Prada had been thinking of removing Peterson from his job for some months.
He said the decision was unanimous within the team, including the rest of the designers, sailors and organisers.
Peterson no longer holds any operational role in the team.
Prada, the Louis Vuitton Cup holders, suffered their second loss in the challenger series yesterday, losing to Team Dennis Conner by 35 seconds.
The team lost to Oracle BMW Racing by 42 seconds on the first day of racing. Prada is one of the favoured teams to make the Louis Vuitton semifinals, but the early losses against key rivals have put the team under pressure.
Peterson said he believed he had designed two quick boats for Prada, but they had not yet been worked up to full potential.
Before yesterday's loss Bertelli, married to world fashion leader Miuccia Prada, said the performance of their boat Luna Rossa against Oracle was not the reason for Peterson's sudden exit.
"The decision is not related to the performance of the boat. We have only had one race where we lost to Oracle by about 40 seconds. This decision was because of different opinions between the team and Mr Peterson on the boat development.
"Mr Doug Peterson has not been fired from the team. He was demoted from his position as design director."
The Prada syndicate announced earlier this week that they would meet New Zealand sailor Gavin Brady to renegotiate his contract, and Bertelli quashed rumours that one of the yachts suffered structural problems from intense heat as it was being shipped to New Zealand.
"I never heard this rumour before. Maybe the sun across the equator was very harmful for someone's brain."
Talk around the syndicates suggests Prada is planning significant work on their second boat, Idaho, but all Bertelli would say yesterday was that the development programme was continuing.
He said there were no concerns within the camp that Brady was not on the race boat's crew.
"There is absolutely no disagreement within the sailing team on who is going to steer it or sail the boat. The makeup of the sailing team was decided some time ago. We are a strong team, we are a united team."
California-born Peterson helped design America3, which won the America's Cup in 1992, and Team New Zealand's two boats, which won the Cup in 1995.
He joined Prada for the 1999-2000 Cup.
Prada won the Louis Vuitton Cup, but was completely shut out of the America's Cup match against Team New Zealand, losing 0-5.
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