McLaren explains why Sanchez left the team

April 29, 2024 10:30

McLaren has revealed the reason behind the surprise departure of David Sanchez, who has stepped down as Technical Director of Concept and Performance after just three months following his arrival at the team.

Team boss Andrea Stella explained that the experienced Frenchman, hired from Ferrari, was ‘too senior’ for the role.

Sanchez arrived at McLaren in February 2023 with the expectation of leading a new triple technical division. However, Stella stated that conversations between them led to the conclusion that there was a ‘misalignment’ in relation to the responsibilities of the position.

“We realized that he was, in some ways, too experienced for the position,” Stella said. “We believe it is a good opportunity for his career to pursue his goals at another team in Formula 1.”

Sanchez’s departure forced McLaren to undergo a new technical restructuring. Rob Marshall, formerly of Red Bull, took over as chief designer. Neil Houdlei became Technical Director of Engineering, while Peter Prodromou heads the aerodynamics area.

Stella will take on the role of Technical Performance Director on an interim basis until McLaren finds a permanent replacement. Interestingly, rumors point to a possible return for Sanchez to Alpine, which lost its Technical Director, Matt Harman, at the start of the current season.

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