The McLaren Formula One team have announced a restructure of their technical department.
Confirmed:
- Rob Marshall becomes chief designer and Neil Houldey moves to technical director for engineering
- Peter Prodromou will continue as technical director for aerodynamics
- Team principal Andrea Stella will assume the role of technical director for performance on an interim basis until a replacement is found
- David Sanchez departs the team after three months
Context:
Marshall (pictured above), who was poached from the Red Bull Formula One team last season, officially started with the Woking-based outfit on 1st January 2024. Initially, he worked alongside Peter Prodromou and David Sanchez in the technical executive team as the technical director of engineering and design.
Sanchez leaves the team saying the role “was not aligned with the reality of the position I found”, but that he has “respect for the leadership, admiration for the dedication of my colleagues, and appreciation for the openness and honesty in which we discussed and arrived at this decision”.
Comment:
Stella said: “Following thoughtful discussions between David Sanchez and the team leadership, the mutual decision has been taken for David to leave the team. Upon our joint reflection, it became apparent that the role, responsibilities, and ambitions associated with David’s position did not align with our original expectations when he agreed to join us in February 2023.
“Recognising this misalignment, both David and I agreed that it would be best to part ways now, so to enable him to pursue other opportunities that will better leverage the full scale and breadth of his remarkable skillset.
“We greatly and gratefully value the contributions that David has made during his relatively short time with us, and we wish him the best in his future endeavours.”
Coming next:
The McLaren Formula One team return to action this weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix from 5th to 7th April.
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