McLaren Formula 1 chief Andrea Stella has attributed the team's remarkable mid-season turnaround in 2023 to a pivotal restructuring of its aerodynamic department at Woking.
The strategic overhaul, implemented in March, was deemed by the Italian as the "fundamental enabler" of the team's resurgence.
The restructuring involved creating three distinct pillars within the technical structure, aiming to streamline the team's operations and foster a more cohesive approach to innovation.
This organizational shift, according to Stella, facilitated a newfound clarity and efficiency among the engineering team, enabling them to effectively develop and implement the critical upgrades that propelled McLaren to podium contention.
In the early stages of the 2023 season, McLaren acknowledged that its launch-spec MCL60 was not up to par. However, Stella remained optimistic, believing that the team would make significant progress as the season unfolded.
The turning point arrived at the Austrian Grand Prix in July, when McLaren unveiled the initial batch of upgrades that had been extensively developed under the new organizational structure.
These upgrades proved to be transformative, evolving McLaren into a regular podium contender and elevating the team to fourth place in the constructors' championship, ahead of Aston Martin.
“The technical restructuring was a fundamental enabler,” Stella told Motorsport.com. “The restructuring itself includes people that actually haven’t started yet.
“If we talk about the new technical configuration, which includes three technical directors, two of them [David Sanchez and Peter Promodru] haven’t started yet.
“It was Peter Prodromou in charge of aero, David Sanchez in charge of performance and concepts, Rob Marshall in charge of engineering and design.
“Effectively, this structure has given clarity on the responsibilities and has allowed also – and it was essential in the short term – to restructure the aerodynamic department, putting Peter Prodromou in charge, supporting Giuseppe Pesce, these guys have been absolutely instrumental in setting the new direction for the design of the car from an aerodynamic point of view.”
“This has been the enabler to use the talent that was already available at McLaren, because the people that physically design the geometries are the same people,” he continued.
“But unleashing their talent by giving clear direction, making clear objectives, and also trying to make sure that empowerment and enthusiasm are the foundation of how we deal with people. This has been instrumental. And that’s also how we are trying to get into the future.”
Marshall and Sanchez are set to join the Woking-based outfit in January, following the conclusion of their non-compete clauses.
The duo brings a wealth of experience and expertise from their previous stints at Red Bull and Ferrari, where they played key roles in developing championship-winning machines.
While Stella is enthusiastic about the potential impact of his new hires, he is also quick to acknowledge the indispensable contributions of his existing engineering team.
Their dedication and expertise have been instrumental in McLaren's recent resurgence, culminating in a remarkable nine podium finishes in 2023.
Furthermore, the team's recent acquisition of a state-of-the-art wind tunnel has also been instrumental in McLaren's success.
“This has been the enabler to use the talent that was already available at McLaren, because the people that physically design the geometries are the same people,” commented Stella.
“But unleashing their talent by giving clear direction, making clear objectives, and also trying to make sure that empowerment and enthusiasm are the foundation of how we deal with people.
“This has been instrumental. And that’s also how we are trying to get into the future.”
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