F1 News: McLaren announce SUDDEN departure of key figure

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McLaren announce SUDDEN departure of key F1 figure

The engineer leaves the team after just three months in his role

Tyler Rowlinson

Tuesday 2 April 2024 18:58 Updated: 20:45

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McLaren have announced a number of organisational changes that sees a key figure depart after just three months.

The Woking-based squad have had a monumental rise in recent months, going from one of the slowest cars on the grid at the start of 2023 to being one of the fastest, and regularly competing for podiums.

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While the talents of drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been a huge factor in their success, another has been their work off the track, as the team continue their ‘relentless quest’ to implement the highest technical standards and move further up the grid.

As part of this, McLaren confirmed on Tuesday several organisational updates at the team, which saw the departure of technical director David Sanchez.

McLaren have had a monumental rise in recent months

David Sanchez will leave the team after three months

Engineer David Sanchez leaves McLaren

Sanchez agreed to join the team from Ferrari in March 2023 – effective January 2024 after a period of gardening leave – to replace the outgoing James Key.

However, having only been in his post for three months, the Frenchman’s role ‘did not align’ with his expectations, and it has been mutually agreed that he will leave the team, with team principal Andrea Stella taking over in the interim until a permanent replacement is found.

Speaking on Sanchez’s departure with McLaren’s official site, 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 skill set.

Andrea Stella will take over his role in the interim

“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."

Sanchez also gave comment on his exit: "I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this team.

“While the role we envisioned and had agreed to was not aligned with the reality of the position I found, I leave with 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.

“I wish this team continued success as it continues its journey to the front of the grid where it belongs. I look forward to my next challenge within F1.”

McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri David Sanchez