McLaren F1 sack technical director; bring in former Ferrari man as part of major restructuring

McLaren have announced a major restructuring, particularly of their F1 team's technical department. James Key has left the team as part of these changes.

McLaren F1 sack technical director; bring in former Ferrari man as part of major restructuring

James Key, formerly the 'Executive Technical Director' of McLaren F1 team

McLaren have announced a major restructuring of their technical department, following a disastrous start to the 2023 season. Even at the launch of the MCL60, they did not look very confident in their package. Bahrain was nothing less than a humiliation for them, as Oscar Piastri retired very early on, and Lando Norris had to go through at least five pit stops. Unfortunately, it did not get any better in Jeddah.

Norris broke his front-left suspension after hitting the wall. Piastri qualified P9, but a first-lap incident with Pierre Gasly derailed his race. In the end, Piastri finished P15, and Norris finished P17. This means that now two races in, McLaren are one of two teams that have not scored a single point. They are also last in the championship. This is a far cry from their performance over the previous two years, where they competed in the upper end of the midfield.

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There is some promise of improvement, with a major upgrade package incoming at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This will basically be a ‘B-spec car’, meant to help the team to fight for fourth place. But it will take more than just that upgrade package to get McLaren to such a position – as Andrea Stella admitted. Now, though, the situation is obviously dire. And the man under whom the MCL60 was built, James Key, has departed the team.

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Read More: Oscar Piastri admits McLaren are “not where we want to be” but does not regret joining the team

David Sanchez will be ‘one of’ the replacements for James Key at McLaren

David Sanchez, who recently left Ferrari, will join McLaren as 'one of' the replacements for James Key
David Sanchez, who recently left Ferrari, will join McLaren as ‘one of’ the replacements for James Key

The departure of James Key, who served as ‘Executive Technical Director’ is part of a series of organizational changes. The most significant of these changes are in the technical department. There will be a new ‘Technical Executive Team’ at McLaren, comprising three specialized Technical Director roles. The three directors will report directly to Andrea Stella, the team principal.

Peter Prodromou, will now serve as the ‘Technical Director, Aerodynamics’. David Sanchez, who recently left Ferrari, will return to McLaren on January 1, 2024, as the ‘Technical Director, Car Concept and Performance’. He previously worked in the aerodynamics department at the Woking team, between 2007 and 2012. Neil Houldey will be the ‘Technical Director, Engineering and Design’. He previously served the team as a ‘Director, Car Concept & Performance Development’.

Giuseppe Pesce, previously a ‘Principal Aerodynamicist’, will move into the role of ‘Director, Aerodynamics & Chief of Staff’. This role is meant to ‘support the running of the aero department’ reporting to Prodromou. Piers Thynne, previously an ‘Executive Director, Operations’ will move into the role of ‘Chief Operating Officer’. This role is meant to support the team principal, Stella to improve the team, and eventually compete at the front of the grid. Time will tell how these changes work out.

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