Official: Eric Boullier leaves McLaren with immediate effect!
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Eric Boullier, Sporting Director of McLaren for four years, has announced his resignation. He will be replaced in his position by Gil de Ferran.
Thunderbolt in the world of Formula 1, just before the start of the British Grand Prix weekend! The current Sporting Director of the McLaren team, Eric Boullier, has announced his resignation with immediate effect.
« I am very proud to have worked with such a brilliant team over the past four years, but I recognize that the time has come for me to resign. I wish everyone at McLaren the best for the rest of the season and for the future. » stated the Frenchman in a brief statement published on the team’s website.
Boullier obviously pays the price for a season start far from the expectations of the McLaren team after three years of struggles with engine supplier Honda. The former Renault Sporting Director did not achieve much success with McLaren, with a 5th place in 2014 at the time of his appointment as the best ranking in the Constructors’ World Championship.
Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren, believes this decision is the first step towards renewal for his team: The performance of the MCL33 in 2018 did not meet the expectations of anyone at McLaren, particularly our loyal fans. It is not the fault of the hundreds of dedicated men and women working at McLaren. The causes are systemic and structural, which require major changes from within. With today’s announcement, we are beginning to address these issues and take the first step towards our recovery.
The American, however, does not miss the opportunity to salute his now former Sporting Director: « I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the entire team to thank Eric for his service and contribution to McLaren and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. »
An emergency structure is therefore set up at McLaren around Gil de Ferran, the new Sporting Director, Simon Roberts, in charge of overseeing production, engineering, and logistics, and Andrea Stella, the director responsible for performance and track operations.
