Sanchez departs McLaren due to ‘misalignment’ over F1 role

McLaren has announced further organisational changes to its Formula 1 technical ranks, with David Sanchez departing due to a “misalignment” over his responsibilities.

The Woking-based squad had signed Sanchez from Ferrari and Rob Marshall from Red Bull last term to form a three-pronged technical structure alongside Peter Prodromou.

But McLaren has revealed that Sanchez will exit three months after arriving at the team to assume the new position of Technical Director of Car Concept and Performance.

In a move “aimed at further strengthening and evolving the technical model”, Marshall, who joined McLaren at the same time as Sanchez, has been named Chief Designer.

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Neil Houdley will now transition into a Technical Director for Engineering position, with Prodromou to remain leading McLaren’s technical division on the aerodynamics side.

Meanwhile, Team Principal Andrea Stella will fill the Technical Director – Performance role on an interim basis until the British outfit identifies a suitable long-term replacement.

Expanding upon the reasons for Sanchez’s sudden exit, Stella explained that a mutual decision had been taken following discussions over the Frenchman’s role in the setup.

“This further step in the evolution of the structure of the Technical Department and of the working model within the team signify our commitment to constantly enhancing our technical capabilities and workflows for greater efficiency and effectiveness,” Stella said.

“Following thoughtful discussions between David Sanchez and the Team Leadership, the mutual decision has been taken for David to leave the team.

“Upon our joint reflection, it became apparent that the role, responsibilities, and ambitions associated with David’s position did not align with our original expectations when he agreed to join us in February 2023.

“Recognising this misalignment, both David and I agreed that it would be best to part ways now, so to enable him to pursue other opportunities that will better leverage the full scale and breadth of his remarkable skillset.

“We greatly and gratefully value the contributions that David has made during his relatively short time with us, and we wish him the best in his future endeavours.”

Sanchez added: “I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this team. While the role we envisioned and had agreed to was not aligned with the reality of the position I found, I leave with respect for the leadership, admiration for the dedication of my colleagues, and appreciation for the openness and honesty in which we discussed and arrived at this decision.

“I wish this team continued success as it continues its journey to the front of the grid where it belongs. I look forward to my next challenge within F1.”