What was going on at McLaren?

It was a big surprise when McLaren announced the retirement of David Sanchez in a press release on April 2. Sanchez was one of two key employees the incoming team had poached from competing teams over the past year. Coming from Ferrari, he was one of three technical directors on the management staff of new team boss Andrea Stella for almost a year. Now he tells the story.

McLaren had already planned for Sanchez in February 2023. As is the norm in Formula 1, the man who had previously worked at Ferrari for eleven years had to serve a months-long ban to prevent knowledge from being passed on before being allowed to start work. its new. Most recently he was the respected head of concept development at Maranello. His career at McLaren only started on January 1, 2024.

This period is one of several factors that contribute to the breakdown. In the eleven months between Sanchez’s commitment and his start of service, a lot changed at McLaren. Andrea Stella, who was promoted to team boss shortly before the Sanchez deal, began to restructure his management team at the same time. Longtime chief engineer James Key left and was replaced by a three-person panel.

McLaren’s major technological revolutions are not fully compatible

Sanchez was appointed as “Technical Director of Concept and Performance”. This was already vacant in March 2023, but due to the forced vacation, the role had to be filled in the short term. Unlike the other two “Technical Directors” that Stella created – Peter Prodromou in the area of ​​aerodynamics and Neil Houldey in the area of ​​engineering and design. The pair, who have worked at McLaren for 10 and 18 years respectively, began their duties immediately.

The 2023 season was a success for McLaren’s new design, says Stella: “There was universal agreement that it worked well.” Sanchez from Ferrari and Rob Marshall from Red Bull arrived in January. Marshall was to become Houldey’s new boss, and Sanchez eventually filled the “concept and execution” role. Like Sanchez, Marshall was on forced leave for several months.

As it stands, the design itself worked – but it wasn’t designed for two high-ranking newcomers who had been given key roles without being able to work on them together. “We are very happy with the three dimensions, aerodynamics, engineering and performance, it works very well,” explains Stella. “But if you have to find a technical setup, then you also have to make sure it takes advantage of the strengths of all the players.”

After another evaluation, there are now four instead of three on the management board. Prodromou is responsible for aerodynamics. Marshall’s role will be split and he will focus on the role of chief designer. This leaves Houldey, who would become Marshall’s deputy, as the engineering boss. There should still be a performance boss – but not David Sanchez. Stella is looking for a replacement while holding the position for a while.

McLaren too little role? Sanchez is probably on his way to the tournament

“We had a discussion with David about this topic and we realized and accepted that his greatness, expertise and competence could be above the role that he was meant to be at McLaren,” explains Stella. The role had changed since February 2023: “We had to assess whether this new context was still suitable for David in particular.”

The answer was: no. Stella repeatedly insists that this decision was made by consensus. “I’m sure it would work, but time is also important for him,” he adds. He doesn’t want to say without a doubt, but this is probably about Sanchez wanting to join another Formula 1 team in a different technical management capacity.

If they kept Sanchez longer, and came to the conclusion after three more months that it wasn’t working, that would have put both sides in a difficult position. McLaren, because then they would have already started development for 2025.

McLaren is considering Sanchez’s condition

On the contrary, it would significantly limit Sanchez’s options in the F1 job market. Because he would no longer be able to influence his new team’s project for 2025, or he might even be too late to help create a very important project for 2026 that is based on changing the rules from the beginning.

“To give him a good chance to take a big role elsewhere, these three months can make a difference,” says Stella welcomingly. “I wish him nothing but the best for his future and I believe he is ready to contribute something valuable to the team for next year’s car and 2026.”

What will happen next for Sanchez is unknown. Stella’s statements probably indicate that she is seeking the true position of a traditional master craftsman. In this case, Alpine and Haas are very important. But these are nothing more than baseless rumours.