Boullier resigns in McLaren F1 team restructuring

Wednesday, 04 July 2018 at 14:28

McLaren announced the resignation of racing director Eric Boullier on Wednesday as part of a restructuring of the Formula 1 team’s technical management ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

The former world champions, currently sixth in the standings after nine races, said Brazilian former Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran had taken a new role as sporting director.

The team said Simon Roberts, chief operating officer of McLaren Racing, will now oversee production, engineering and logistics.

Andrea Stella was appointed Performance Director, responsible for trackside operations.

“The performance of the MCL33 in 2018 has not met the expectations of anyone at McLaren, especially our loyal fans,” said team boss Zak Brown in a statement.

“This is not the fault of the hundreds of committed and hard-working men and women at McLaren. The causes are systemic and structural, which require major change from within.”

Brown, who accepted Boullier’s resignation on Tuesday, said the restructuring marked the first step on the road to recovery with the team addressing their issues “head on”.

McLaren have not won a race since 2012 and switched to Renault engines this season after ending a disappointing three-year partnership with Honda.

Their boast last year that they had one of the best chassis in the sport has been undermined by aerodynamic struggles this year while Red Bull, who use the same engine, have won three races.

Boullier’s position had looked shaky for some time, with technical head Tim Goss moved aside in April.

“I am very proud to have worked with such a brilliant team over the past four years, but I recognise now is the right time for me to step down,” Boullier, a former Lotus team boss, said in the McLaren statement.

“I want to wish everyone at McLaren the best for the remainder of the season and for the future.”

Full Press Release:

McLaren Racing today announced a leadership restructure of its racing operations, with immediate effect.

McLaren Racing Chief Executive Zak Brown yesterday accepted Eric Boullier’s resignation from his position as Racing Director. He also announced a simplified technical leadership team.

Simon Roberts, COO of McLaren Racing, will oversee production, engineering and logistics. Andrea Stella is appointed Performance Director, responsible for trackside operations. Gil de Ferran takes up the new role of Sporting Director, to maximise the effectiveness of the team’s racing package.

These changes are the beginning of a comprehensive programme of positive changes to the technical leadership of McLaren’s racing organisation. The team will invest to retain and attract the best talent, internally and externally, to return McLaren Racing to the front of the grid.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said: “The performance of the MCL33 in 2018 has not met the expectations of anyone at McLaren, especially our loyal fans. This is not the fault of the hundreds of committed and hard-working men and women at McLaren.

“The causes are systemic and structural, which require major change from within. With today’s announcement, we start to address those issues head on and take the first step on our road to recovery.

“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 well in his future endeavours.”

Eric Boullier said: “I am very proud to have worked with such a brilliant team over the past four years, but I recognise now is the right time for me to step down. I want to wish everyone at McLaren the best for the remainder of the season and for the future.”