Capito to quit McLaren role after four months - reports

McLaren is set to part ways with Jost Capito, only four months after the former Volkswagen motorsport director moved in as chief executive officer, per multiple reports.

Capito’s appointment was made official last January in a major senior management overhaul. But with VW keen to find a successor to the man that led it to a bevy of world rally championship titles, Capito only started working at McLaren last September.

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The BBC now reports that the 58-year-old is “no longer working day-to-day” for McLaren though he remains on the company’s pay roll.

Capito’s fate appears to be linked with that of Ron Dennis, who was forced to step down from his role as McLaren Group chairman and CEO last month in the wake of a power struggle with fellow shareholders - Bahraini sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat and long-time friend Mansour Ojjeh.

Indeed, it was Dennis who appointed Capito last January. Autosport adds that the latter’s role was seen as “a duplication” of racing director Eric Boullier’s position in some quarters.

Capito’s impending departure comes one month after motorsport marketing expert Zak Brown accepted a role to become executive director of McLaren, with the US businessman working alongside Jonathan Neale and reporting to McLaren's executive committee, which was set up after Dennis’ ousting.

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