James Key: McLaren announce departure of executive technical director in F1 engineering reshuffle
McLaren have announced the departure of executive technical director James Key after a poor start to the 2023 F1 season which sees the Woking-based team last in the Formula 1 constructors' championship; Zak Brown says it's a change that has been needed "for some time"
Thursday 23 March 2023 16:51, UK
McLaren have announced the departure of executive technical director James Key as part of an engineering reshuffle which will "match the ambition of returning to the front of the grid".
Key, who has been with the team since 2018, will leave the team after a disappointing start to the season, which has left McLaren at the bottom of the constructors' championship, without a point from the first two races.
The reshuffle will see McLaren move away from a single executive technical director to an F1 technical executive team comprising of three new specialised technical director roles, reporting directly to team principal Andrea Stella.
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McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said in the team's press release that it had been clear "for some time" that the "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 restructure required to set the wheels in motion to turn this around.
"I'm determined to see McLaren get back to where we should be."
In a structural change that follows his recent promotion, Stella thanked Key for his "hard work" before sharing his ambition for McLaren's future.
"I am determined and fully focused on leading McLaren back to the front of the field," said Stella.
"Since taking on the team principal role I have been given the mandate to take a strategic approach to ensure the team is set on a long-term foundation, for us to build on over the years."
This was a structure adopted by the 2023 F1 season's surprise stars Aston Martin, which McLaren and new team principal Stella will hope can push them up the grid.
The technical executive team will include Peter Prodromou, who has been promoted into the role of technical director of aerodynamics.
David Sanchez will return to McLaren from Ferrari at the beginning of 2024, and will be responsible for the car concept and performance after a decade with the Scuderia.
Neil Houldey, who has been with McLaren since 2006, is promoted into the newly created role of technical director of engineering and design.
McLaren will hope that this is a restructure that solidifies Lando Norris' faith amid talk of the British star leaving.
'A move that signals McLaren's ambition'
Sky Sports F1's Craig Slater:
This isn't a knee jerk to the nul points start to this season, its been in the pipeline for a few months.
Zak Brown felt the development of the car hadn't been moving along quickly enough.
Remember that McLaren's relative success in 2019 and 2020 was with a car Alpine's Pat Fry oversaw - James Key hasn't driven the team on at the same rate.
He lamented last year's mid-season rule change with regard to ride height as he'd already pursued a different path but it was something every team had to deal with.
But does Key's departure fully unlock Peter Prodromou's potential to drive aerodynamics?
Dan Fallows' huge impact at Aston Martin this season has led to the conclusion he was the aerodynamicist Red Bull were desperate to keep rather than Prodromou when McLaren came in for both in 2014.
Prodromou however, was the senior figure under Adrian Newey back then. Fallows inherited his job.
McLaren's new wind tunnel goes operational in June. Will the team finally get the results they'd envisaged from Prodromou's hiring almost a decade ago.
Today's key appointment, though, is David Sanchez. Also from an aerodynamic background, he left McLaren for Ferrari in 2012, the point at which McLaren fell from F1's leading group of teams.
His transfer both damages Ferrari and improves McLaren, although he won't start until January next year. He has a proven record of getting the big decisions right when F1 technical regulations change.
Does this also change the narrative around McLaren? They've taken action rather than wait on promises of improvement - it signals their ambition.
I have learned there is more recruitment to come. For Lando Norris, with ambitions to win races and championships, at least he'll appreciate the team aren't simply waiting on the same personnel and processes to deliver different results.
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