How to organize a Formula 1 team has been a bit of a moving target lately. The old days found a single technical director in charge of the car and in recent years, that’s been broken down into a team of technical personnel responsible for different elements of the car.
When Zak Brown joined McLaren, the team moved back to the traditional single technical director but this week, they’ve announced they are moving back to a team approach with the departure of James Key.
This means they will now have three experts with former Ferrari man, David Sanchez, on car concept, Peter Prodromou on aerodynamics and Neil Houldey on engineering and design. The thought here is that all three should produce a better way forward than having one technical director thinly spread across the entirety of the car.
A team structures can make or break the team and there were perhaps already consideration for this management change when Andreas Seidl left last winter. With Andrea Stella now at the helm, these changes are intended to move the team back toward the front of the grid.
Team management aside, another big pressure for Zak are the drivers. He’s spent a fortune getting two of the best young drivers on the grid but they won’t stay for long if the team is fighting at the back of the grid.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are considered two of the most promising future champions and yet the McLaren failed to beat a Williams in Saudi Arabia. That’s just not good enough for a team like McLaren.
been a long time mclaren fan, since lauda / prost. its been hard for while now, as any ferrari fan would know. I hope this doesnt turn into “design by comitte” we all know how that ended for toyota.
If this doesnt work, do we think in 25/6 there will be a call for zac to move on?
Such a tough spot. He went all out to get the best drivers he could and both are considered champions in the making and now they dropped the ball on the car. Much like Ferrari is now. Both teams are behind teh 8 ball and both need to make quick changes or they won’t retain the likes of Leclerc, Norris or Piastri. Not that any team is saying this but I don’t think you can say, oh, well…tough luck, we’ll do better next year. They have to find some pace and develop this year. Show progress. I have to think… Read more »
yeah, i expect the “lando to ferrari” rumours to start in a race or two if things don’t start improving.
It’s impossible to know what’s happening in that team but I think the problem’s bigger than Zac. What was it 10 years ago they had a lousy car and team with a Merc engine so they were like the solution is to get rid of this engine! They couldn’t even make the Honda run and now it’s world champion. Everyone said bring back Ron, magic shoots from his fingers, and he was a disaster. When Zac came they improved really strongly for a couple years, now they’re awful. Would they be better without Zac I’m not sure but I am… Read more »
Do you think mclaren have become the old ferrari? pre schui/brawn/todt days