Born in Buenos Aires on 17 March 1952, Rinland studied mechanical engineering at the Universidad Nacional del Sur in Argentina, graduating in 1978. His thesis combined a vehicle suspension mathematical model and computer simulation with the design of a Formula 2 car as a practical application. After two years working in Argentine Formula 2, he moved to England in 1980.
In England, Rinland found work as a designer for PRS, a small Formula Ford constructor owned by Vic Holman, for whom he designed Formula Ford 1600 and Formula Ford 2000 cars for the 1982 and 1983 seasons, achieving results in the UK, Europe, and the United States. After a brief period working for Ron Tauranac at Ralt, Rinland was hired by the RAM F1 team in 1983, working initially with Dave Kelly and later in 1985 with Gustav Brunner on the RAM 03.
For 1986 he joined Williams, where he was part of the design team for the highly successful FW11, led by Patrick Head and Frank Dernie.
In 1987, Rinland joined Brabham, co-designing the Brabham BT56 with David North and John Baldwin. When Brabham temporarily withdrew from Formula One at the end of 1987, Rinland moved to Dallara to design the Italian constructor's first F1 car, which was raced by BMS Scuderia Italia in 1988. Brabham returned in 1989 and called Rinland back as chief designer, a position he held through the end of 1991. In that role he was responsible for the Brabham BT58, BT59, and the BT60-Yamaha.
Rinland then established his own design company, Astauto Ltd, in Tolworth, England. Astauto was engaged to design and build the F1 cars for the Fondmetal team. The resulting Fondmetal GR02 was recognised as a notably innovative design by specialist publications, though the team closed mid-1992 due to financial difficulties, limiting the car to only a handful of race appearances.
After Fondmetal, Rinland worked in the United States for Dan Gurney's All American Racers, conducting a feasibility study for a Toyota Champ Car entry in CART. Returning to Europe in 1995, he worked briefly for the new Forti team and then with Opel in the German Touring Car Championship under team principal Keke Rosberg for the remainder of that season.
From 1996 to 1999, Rinland worked for the Benetton Formula 1 Team. At the end of 1999 he was headhunted by the Sauber F1 team to become chief designer. At Sauber he designed the C20, the team's most successful F1 car to that point. The C20's most noted technical innovation was its "Twin Keel" front suspension configuration. By September 2001 Rinland had joined Arrows as chief designer, but the team encountered financial difficulties and folded in 2002.
Following the closure of Arrows, Rinland developed Astauto Ltd as an engineering consultancy, working with Pankl GmbH, Red Bull Cheever Racing in the IRL, Coloni and Trident Racing in GP2, and Team Modena for Le Mans campaigns in 2006 and 2007. He also earned an MBA from Kingston University London in 2006.
From December 2007 to January 2011, Rinland served as engineering director of Epsilon Euskadi in Spain, overseeing the team's 2008 Le Mans campaign and other projects. Subsequently, he expanded his consultancy work across Europe, the United States, and South America, with a particular focus on simulation and electric vehicle performance research. He has also been involved in academic work, advising Hertfordshire University on driver-in-the-loop simulation and supporting the Oxford Brookes Racing Formula Student team in developing lap-time simulation models.