F1 | McLaren: here's what led to Sanchez's departure in 3 months

It was March 23, 2023 when McLaren announced the arrival in Woking of David Sanchez from Ferrari starting from January 1, 2024. An arrival considered significant in a context that has seen the Woking team strengthen thanks to the hiring of several prominent technicians , including that of Rob Marshall from Red Bull.

However, less than four months after his return to England, where he had worked before starting the adventure with the Cavallino, Sanchez himself left McLaren again, in what was an unexpected separation.

What led to the separation between the team and the aerodynamicist was the role misalignment that Sanchez found himself facing after his arrival in Woking, given a change in context compared to the moment in which he initially signed the contract. As explained by Andrea Stella, in fact, Sanchez and the team had reached an agreement in February 2023, before the disastrous start of the season pushed the team to revolutionize the technical structure of the group, focusing on a configuration with three supporting pillars that still today represents the basis of the team.

The change of context that arose in the following months meant that the engineer found himself in a different situation from that expected when the agreement was reached. In these three months together, both Sanchez and McLaren came to the conclusion that there was a discrepancy in roles between what was initially proposed and what was actually proposed. This is also because, in the meantime, the British team has continued to hire other leading technicians from rival teams and to strengthen its structure by promoting internal resources.

“The main news is that we have a new, evolved technical setup, which I think puts McLaren in an even stronger position than it was before,” began Stella. In fact, after Sanchez's departure, McLaren decided to entrust the role of designer to Rob Marshall, while Neil Houldey was confirmed as technical director of the engineering department, with Peter Prodromou as technical director of the aerodynamic side.

“What we have done in these first three months has been to find the right synthesis between the technical path that we started last year with some new arrivals, trying to maintain the positive aspects of this path that began in 2023. The new hires, among the other, they don't just include some top technicians, but we've actually added a lot of people from the McLaren technical area. We therefore had to find the synthesis between the path already started 12 months ago and these new arrivals”.

Basically, McLaren did not want to change the model built in the last twelve months, as it was considered particularly valid by the team and engineers who adapted to their respective roles. However, it is logical that, when there are new arrivals, it is also essential to find a way to integrate these figures within the existing technical structure: a path which, however, did not materialize with Sanchez.

David Sanchez in Ferrari

“This means that in these three months we have had several conversations, including those with David [Sanchez]. We all agree that the model itself is very good. We are very happy to have three directions related to aerodynamics, engineering and performance. It works very well, but you also need to make sure you can make the most of the technicians you have,” Stella continued, suggesting that the responsibilities entrusted to Sanchez were in fact lower than expected when the agreement was reached.

“We spoke to Sanchez about this topic and we understood and recognized that his level of experience and expertise is potentially even higher than the role he held at McLaren. There have certainly been some changes since the initial conversations and there has been a change of context. It was necessary to evaluate whether this new context was suitable for David Sanchez, in particular.”

However, although this integration process did not work, Stella is convinced that, with a little time to better organize the structure, there would have been the possibility of better integrating a coach like Sanchez. However, in the end it was decided to arrive at an amicable separation, also leaving the opportunity for the engineer to find a new path.

“I think it's fair to say that some conditions have changed. This does not mean that it was impossible to find a solution, but time in these cases is a variable that must be taken into consideration. I'm quite convinced that it could have worked, but the issue of time is important for him too. He would have to wait another three months to try to integrate. I think there are some teams in the paddock that will benefit from having an engineer of this caliber,” specified the McLaren Team Principal.

Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal, is interviewed

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

What is surprising is that the separation came after just three months, but Stella wanted to make it clear that such a period of time in Formula 1 is more than enough to understand certain dynamics.

“Three months in a normal industry is not a long time, but in Formula 1 it flies by quickly. We have hired new people from the automotive sector and the aviation industry. When I met the newcomers, I wanted to know what they thought and get their feedback. They told me that Formula 1 goes much faster, at least 3-4 times faster than the sectors they were in before.”

“So three months in Formula 1 is like a year in another sector and can certainly make a difference. So we thought it was the right time. We came to an amicable conclusion with Sanchez and it was the right thing to do. I really wish him the best for the future.”