James Key leaves McLaren
As a result of McLaren's reorganization, the team's technical director, James Key, was pushed out.
Having joined McLaren in 2018, James Key had been an important pillar in the first reconstruction of McLaren that occurred under the Zak Brown era. This arrival notably allowed the English team to climb to 3rd position in the constructors’ standings in 2020. This period of growth, during which McLaren was accumulating more points season after season, ended in 2022. It was at the end of this disappointing campaign that the team principal, Andreas Seidl, left the ship to embark on the Sauber project.
For McLaren’s 60th anniversary, James Key doesn’t seem to have given his team the best birthday present. The MCL60 is currently stranded at the back of the pack. Sitting last in the standings with zero points, Zak Brown has determined that a complete overhaul of McLaren’s organizational structure is necessary to lift the team out of this dire situation. Not only has James Key been let go, but his position has also been eliminated. The role of technical director has been removed to make way for a technical team consisting of three key positions.
The latter will be composed of Peter Prodomou as the director of the car’s aerodynamics sector. The British man had joined McLaren for the first time in 1991 before moving to Red Bull in 2006. He eventually rejoined the second oldest team on the grid at the beginning of the hybrid era. David Sanchez will oversee the design and performance of the car. The Frenchman had previously spent a decade at Ferrari. Lastly, Neil Houldney will be in charge of engineering and design. With this gathering of minds, McLaren hopes to return to the top of the standings. This decision is sensible in a time when engineers have never been more crucial. It is perfectly illustrated by the genius of Adrian Newey, highlighted by Red Bull’s ultra-dominant performances, and the recruitment of prestigious engineers such as Dan Fallows at Aston Martin, which allowed the British team to go from the 6th to the 2nd strongest force on the grid.
A reorganization that has been carefully considered for several months, in which Andrea Stella, the director of McLaren, seems optimistic about its successful implementation: « I am determined and fully focused on my mission, which is to bring McLaren back to the forefront of the pack. Since I was appointed as director, I have been asked to develop a plan to ensure that the team has a long-term vision on which to build in the coming years. This new structure offers us clarity and efficiency in our technical departments, positioning us well to optimize our performance. »
