McLaren: Engineer David Sanchez leaves team after just three months
- Published
McLaren driver Lando Norris finished in third place at the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago
Leading engineer David Sanchez has left McLaren just three months after joining the team from Ferrari.
The Frenchman was recruited as part of a restructure of McLaren's technical department.
Team principal Andrea Stella will fulfil Sanchez's role until a permanent appointment is made.
"The role, responsibilities, and ambitions associated with David's position did not align with our original expectations," said Stella.
As part of the changes, Rob Marshall, who signed from Red Bull earlier this year, has become chief designer. He had previously been technical director, engineering and design.
Sanchez, 44, has not been put on gardening leave and will be free to join another team as soon as he can find a suitable position.
The change was precipitated because Sanchez did not feel stretched in his new role because its remit was smaller than he expected when he agreed to join.
His being allowed to leave is a recognition by McLaren that it was not working and was not going to work.
The reshuffle, masterminded by Stella, was aimed at putting senior leaders in the three areas which define F1 car performance - aerodynamics, performance and engineering.
Following Sanchez's departure, Neil Houldley, who had been made a deputy technical director for engineering, has been made technical director.
Peter Prodromou remains as technical director for aerodynamics.
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 endeavour."
Sanchez said: "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."