McLaren and engineering director Pat Fry to part ways

© XPB 

McLaren engineering directior Pat Fry, who contributed to the design of the team's 2019 MCL34, is set to leave the Woking-based outfit.

Fry - who had previously worked at McLaren from 1993 to 2010 before a four-year stint with Ferrari - returned to Woking last year following a shake-up of the team's technical department that had seen the departures of technical director Tim Goss and engineering director Matt Morris.

However, Fry's employment was always expected to be on an interim basis during the period that preceded the arrival of McLaren's new technical director James Key, who was hired from Toro Rosso.

Regardless of whether the 55-year-old British engineer as received a firm offer from another team or not, Fry will likely undergo a six-month period of gardening leave.

One possible destination for Fry in the future could be Williams, as it's perhaps not a coincidence that his departure from McLaren comes just days after the Grove-based outfit announced the permanent leaving of former tech boss Paddy Lowe.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter