Following a lackluster start to the 2023 season, in which the team failed to register a point in either of the first two Grands Prix, McLaren has announced a restructuring of its technical division.
McLaren has fired technical director James Key and reorganized its design department. The new rules that were put into place last year have been troubling Key’s technical team at McLaren to adjust to. In the 2022 constructors championship, it dropped from fourth to fifth, and the team confessed during the offseason that it had missed important development milestones for this year’s car.
April upgrade in Mclaren
The significant upgrade scheduled for April has the team’s hopes tied to it, although team principal Andrea Stella has recently taken steps to temper expectations that it will result in a considerable improvement in performance.
While talking about James Key, Stella said “Firstly, I’d like to thank James for his hard work and commitment during his time at McLaren and wish him well for the future.”
David Sanchez, the former Ferrari head of automotive concept who just left the Italian team, will be a part of this trio. He will eventually fill in for the job of technical director of car concept and performance but cannot join McLaren until 1 January 2024 because he is presently on gardening leave.
McLaren’s initial plans for restructuring
Peter Prodromou, who is now the Technical Director of aerodynamics, will collaborate with Sanchez. The newly created position of Technical Director, Engineering and Design will go to Neil Houldey. Piers Thynne will also take on a larger role as the Formula 1 team’s chief operating officer, where he will assist Stella in raising standards inside the organization.
The new technical management team is only one of the multiple organizational changes McLaren has announced. To assist in administering the aero department, Giuseppe Pesce has been promoted to director of aerodynamics and chief of staff. Prodromou will receive his report directly.
Stella, who took over as team principal during the winter, believed that the team needed to reorganize its technical department before later this year’s anticipated opening of facilities like its new wind tunnel and simulator.
Technical Director James Key departs McLaren#F1 https://t.co/lPBbI4FcG8
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 23, 2023
McLaren is undergoing a restructuring and dividing its technical director role as it prepares to launch a new wind tunnel and simulator, as well as a new manufacturing facility later this year. The team has been using Toyota’s wind tunnel in Cologne, which is both challenging and costly. The current McLaren simulator, which is around 20 years old, is also outdated.
The upgrades to the infrastructure will aid in the design of next year’s car and will be at full capacity for the 2025 season. The new structure will provide clarity and effectiveness within the technical department and put the team in a strong position to maximize performance. The team principal, Stella, is focused on leading McLaren back to the front of the field and ensuring the team is set on a long-term foundation.
McLaren Racing statement on organisational changes within our Formula 1 team.
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 23, 2023
James Key, who has worked in Formula 1 for 25 years and most recently served as technical director at McLaren, has been ousted from the team. Key previously held positions at Jordan, Force India, Sauber, and Toro Rosso. McLaren team principal Stella thanked Key for his hard work and commitment and wished him well for the future.
McLaren hopes to get back to the top of the grid by making changes at every level. With problems in the first two races, it does not seem like revolution is anywhere near but we should know that to reach the higher levels of the sport, it takes more than a season or two.
