Zak Brown explains radical McLaren shakeup

McLaren

Brown explains radical McLaren shakeup

McLaren has slid down the order in recent years

Sam Hall

Thursday 23 March 2023 15:02 Updated: 17:00

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has explained the reasons behind a major shakeup in the team's technical setup.

On Thursday, McLaren announced a radical change to its technical departments with executive technical director James Key confirmed to have left the team.

In his place will be a new team of three executive personnel that all focus on different aspects, with Peter Prodromou taking the lead on aerodynamics and Neil Houldey landing a newly created role of technical director, engineering and design.

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The third position - technical director, car concept and performance - will be filled on January 1st 2024 by David Sanchez, who returns to the team after spending a decade with Ferrari.

The changes come after a woeful start to the campaign that sees McLaren sit at the foot of the table, alongside AlphaTauri with a zero-points tally.

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McLaren shortcomings 'clear' to Brown

“It’s important now that we ensure we have a solid foundation as the next phase of our journey," said Brown.

"It has been clear to me for some time that our technical development has not moved at a quick enough pace to match our ambition of returning to the front of the grid.

"I’m pleased that, having completed a full review with Andrea, we are now able to implement the restructuring required to set the wheels in motion to turn this around.

"These strategic changes ensure the long-term success of the team and are necessary to see McLaren get back to winning ways.

"We have everything coming into place now with our people and infrastructure and alongside an exciting driver line-up, I’m determined to see McLaren get back to where we should be."