McLaren have already had a reshuffle behind the scenes with David Sanchez leaving the team just three months after arriving.
After a positive end to the 2023 season with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri making the most of their in-season upgrades, the team were keen to kick on this year.
However, a press release from McLaren has confirmed that Sanchez has now moved on after switching Red Bull for the Woking-based team on 1 January.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine
David Sanchez leaving McLaren after three months with the team
Under team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown, McLaren have taken some big strides forward.
Bringing in Oscar Piastri from Alpine has proved to be a masterstroke and it’s no surprise that he was offered a new deal less than a year into his Formula 1 career.
It’s also why Red Bull are still sniffing around the young Australian despite the fact he’s committed his future to McLaren.
Lando Norris also put pen to paper on a new deal this winter ahead of what could be one of the most eventful years in F1 driver market history.
While these moves are encouraging for their performance on track, behind the scenes McLaren wanted to take steps forward too, which is why Sanchez leaving could be considered a big blow.
He was described by Brown as a ‘mega’ signing at the beginning of the year, but three months down the line he’s already moved on.
McLaren reshuffle begins after Sanchez exit
Addressing the 44-year-old’s departure in McLaren’s press release, 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.”
To add to this statement, Sanchez said: “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 seeking new technical director for performance after Sanchez exit
David Sanchez leaving McLaren has left them short of one senior engineer and left having to shuffle their current personnel around.
Team principal Stella will take over the role of Technical Director – Performance while they search for a replacement.
Peter Prodromou continues in his aerodynamics role with Neil Houldey concentrating on the engineering side of things.
That means 55-year-old Rob Marshall has now assumed the role of Chief Designer.
Marshall joined McLaren at the same time as Sanchez following 17 years with Red Bull Racing having previously worked with Benetton and Renault.
He’s helped the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen win championships and McLaren will hope he can help them emulate that success for Norris and Piastri.
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