Eric Boullier leaves mclaren

[anthdci]

McLaren Racing announces leadership restructure of racing operations

McLaren Racing today announced a leadership restructure of its racing operations, with immediate effect.

McLaren Racing Chief Executive Zak Brown yesterday accepted Eric Boullier’s resignation from his position as Racing Director. He also announced a simplified technical leadership team.

Simon Roberts, COO of McLaren Racing, will oversee production, engineering and logistics. Andrea Stella is appointed Performance Director, responsible for trackside operations. Gil de Ferran takes up the new role of Sporting Director, to maximise the effectiveness of the team’s racing package.

These changes are the beginning of a comprehensive programme of positive changes to the technical leadership of McLaren’s racing organisation. The team will invest to retain and attract the best talent, internally and externally, to return McLaren Racing to the front of the grid.

source:
https://www.mclaren.com/formula1/inside ... structure/

[dompclarke]

starting to sound like Ferrari's reaction to underperformance of the car, lets hope they get the turnaround Ferrari finally did...

[Flash2k11]

Pretty big news that, not before time either. They looked awful in Austria, going backwards this season if anything. De Ferran's job seems like a bit of a made up one though, seems even years after he has departed, the old Ronspeak lives on.

[wolfticket]

Both Stella and de Ferran seem to be Alonso guys...

[Herb]

I think this has been on the cards for quite a while.

Fingers crossed they can start to turn the corner.

[Rockie]

Should have been done a long time ago.

Mclaren need to let people without backbone go.

I mean who and who came up with the idea of letting Honda go?

[Lojik]

I mean who and who came up with the idea of letting Honda go?

Alonso?

[UnlikeUday]

Get Vijay Mallya onboard!

[Siao7]

This was in the cards. I never rated Boullier much, but what do I know?

In other news, it seems that the McLaren Group is under an (mysterious) investigation, I wonder if this restructure is part of this.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/20 ... s-profits/

[AravJ]

About time, he should pay back all his bonus and salary back for wrongly pointing the finger to Honda only and losing all that sponsorship money.
He has only taken mclaren backwards. Now hopefully someone will put things right. But I fear systemic issues take time and pain among staff to resolve.

[Zoue]

About time, he should pay back all his bonus and salary back for wrongly pointing the finger to Honda only and losing all that sponsorship money.
He has only taken mclaren backwards. Now hopefully someone will put things right. But I fear systemic issues take time and pain among staff to resolve.

In all fairness I believe the sponsors were lost under Ron. A lot of it rumour and hearsay of course but it appears that Ron fell out with a number of sponsors and refused to lower the rate card even after McLaren started dropping down the grid. I could be wrong but I don't believe EB was ever involved on the commercial side

[RaggedMan]

About time, he should pay back all his bonus and salary back for wrongly pointing the finger to Honda only and losing all that sponsorship money.
He has only taken mclaren backwards. Now hopefully someone will put things right. But I fear systemic issues take time and pain among staff to resolve.

In all fairness I believe the sponsors were lost under Ron. A lot of it rumour and hearsay of course but it appears that Ron fell out with a number of sponsors and refused to lower the rate card even after McLaren started dropping down the grid. I could be wrong but I don't believe EB was ever involved on the commercial side

Get out of my head! This is the second post of yours this morning where you’ve said exactly what I was thinking.

[Seanie]

Shocker.

He was not in a great mood at Austria, probably even worse after the race - the writing has been on the wall.

Question is, will this be the latest "We've got rid of X, so we'll be better now - the chassis is the best on the grid!!!" excuse from McLaren, or will anything actually change?

To be honest, I don't have any faith in them becoming the leading Renault team any time soon.

[Zoue]

About time, he should pay back all his bonus and salary back for wrongly pointing the finger to Honda only and losing all that sponsorship money.
He has only taken mclaren backwards. Now hopefully someone will put things right. But I fear systemic issues take time and pain among staff to resolve.

In all fairness I believe the sponsors were lost under Ron. A lot of it rumour and hearsay of course but it appears that Ron fell out with a number of sponsors and refused to lower the rate card even after McLaren started dropping down the grid. I could be wrong but I don't believe EB was ever involved on the commercial side

Get out of my head! This is the second post of yours this morning where you’ve said exactly what I was thinking.

[Yellowbin74]

Obviously we don't know the internals, but I've always struggled to see what he has brought to any team.

[UnlikeUday]

Does his exit spell good or bad for Alonso?

[tootsie323]

Does his exit spell god or bad for Alonso?

Is that a typo, or deliberate?

[UnlikeUday]

Does his exit spell god or bad for Alonso?

Is that a typo, or deliberate?

Typo!

[sandman1347]

Step 1: Bring in new leadership
Step 2: Acquire additional sponsorship (they will never return to the front with their current budget)
Step 3: Allow Alonso to move on (he's the guy you get when you're ready to fight for a title; not when you are trying to build up to that point)
Step 4: Formulate a long-term strategy that features a plan to regain works team status and that focuses on capitalizing on the 2021 regs overhaul

Do all of this and they might make it. If they are still nowhere in 2021, you will never again see McLaren as a top team.

[Flash2k11]

Does his exit spell god or bad for Alonso?

Is that a typo, or deliberate?

Typo!

Well, you're probably on the money with 'god' either way. Stella is obviously an Alonso man and De Ferran seems to be pretty well in with him too. Guess this means the McLaren Indycar has been shelved for next year, on the basis that De Ferran would have been in charge of that.

Don't think Boullier did all that much wrong in the grand scheme of things, sounds like the entire management structure is a god awful mess at McLaren right now, with people better sorted to calling boardroom shots rather than racing ones being in charge over those who actually know how to run a race team. Whitmarsh is much maligned anyway but he sowed the seeds for the management by democracy when Dennis went, and I think that is what has led McLaren to the point they are at now. With that said, if Boullier going is the catalyst for changing that structure (and it looks like it might be) then it'll be the right decision in the long run.

[Zoue]

Step 1: Bring in new leadership
Step 2: Acquire additional sponsorship (they will never return to the front with their current budget)
Step 3: Allow Alonso to move on (he's the guy you get when you're ready to fight for a title; not when you are trying to build up to that point)
Step 4: Formulate a long-term strategy that features a plan to regain works team status and that focuses on capitalizing on the 2021 regs overhaul

Do all of this and they might make it. If they are still nowhere in 2021, you will never again see McLaren as a top team.

I think 2 and 3 have the potential to conflict. Alonso brings the team headlines and sponsors might be keen to see some of that. I think there are benefits to keeping Alonso, both for that and the fact that without him McLaren would likely sink even lower in the WCC rankings, which in turns loses money. Otherwise plan seems sound, depending of course on whether new manufacturers contemplate entering the sport after the new regs are finalised

[sandman1347]

Step 1: Bring in new leadership
Step 2: Acquire additional sponsorship (they will never return to the front with their current budget)
Step 3: Allow Alonso to move on (he's the guy you get when you're ready to fight for a title; not when you are trying to build up to that point)
Step 4: Formulate a long-term strategy that features a plan to regain works team status and that focuses on capitalizing on the 2021 regs overhaul

Do all of this and they might make it. If they are still nowhere in 2021, you will never again see McLaren as a top team.

I think 2 and 3 have the potential to conflict. Alonso brings the team headlines and sponsors might be keen to see some of that. I think there are benefits to keeping Alonso, both for that and the fact that without him McLaren would likely sink even lower in the WCC rankings, which in turns loses money. Otherwise plan seems sound, depending of course on whether new manufacturers contemplate entering the sport after the new regs are finalised

You make a good point but you also have to consider the cost side of Alonso. He's one of the three highest paid drivers in F1 (along with Hamilton and Vettel). I'm not sure how much additional sponsorship he brings to the team but it would have to greatly offset that cost to be worth it. As you mentioned earlier in the thread, McLaren have left a lot of money on the table in their negotiations with potential sponsors. They need to swallow their pride and fill up that chassis with logos already.

Mostly I just think that moving on from Alonso creates an organization that has congruence with itself; where all stakeholders are properly aligned. Patience and a long-term focus is where they need to be right now. The sense of urgency that comes with the constant "when will you give Alonso a great car" narrative is not actually what they need at the moment.

[paul_gmb]

I don't understand what the heck is going on there.

For me, it just seems like the new management is nowhere on all sides.

Luckily they kept Andrea Stella, which has F1 background. Gil de Ferran could go either way I guess.

There is no further evidence needed that Ron has to come back. With or without Zak Brown there.

Zak Brown was brought for commercial reasons. Now he is running the team.

I don't doubt his intentions, I am sure he is trying everything to make things work. What I am afraid of, is the fact that to also run the more technical aspects, he has to trust people. While Ron had to do the same, he did have more knowledge on technical aspects. Unfortunately, Zak has to rely on instincts, gut feelings and put total trust in what he is being told.

[dompclarke]

I don't understand what the heck is going on there.

For me, it just seems like the new management is nowhere on all sides.

Luckily they kept Andrea Stella, which has F1 background. Gil de Ferran could go either way I guess.

There is no further evidence needed that Ron has to come back. With or without Zak Brown there.

Zak Brown was brought for commercial reasons. Now he is running the team.

I don't doubt his intentions, I am sure he is trying everything to make things work. What I am afraid of, is the fact that to also run the more technical aspects, he has to trust people. While Ron had to do the same, he did have more knowledge on technical aspects. Unfortunately, Zak has to rely on instincts, gut feelings and put total trust in what he is being told.

Whatever our views Ron is gone, pretty sure he's sold his stake but not 100%

[moby]

This was in the cards. I never rated Boullier much, but what do I know?

In other news, it seems that the McLaren Group is under an (mysterious) investigation, I wonder if this restructure is part of this.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/20 ... s-profits/

Hmmm. I wonder if this is "The wroth of Ron".

Top man gets stabbed in back, then gets government job, then company gets investigated relative to 3rd party?
I wonder if its the same 3rd party

[Zoue]

I don't understand what the heck is going on there.

For me, it just seems like the new management is nowhere on all sides.

Luckily they kept Andrea Stella, which has F1 background. Gil de Ferran could go either way I guess.

There is no further evidence needed that Ron has to come back. With or without Zak Brown there.

Zak Brown was brought for commercial reasons. Now he is running the team.

I don't doubt his intentions, I am sure he is trying everything to make things work. What I am afraid of, is the fact that to also run the more technical aspects, he has to trust people. While Ron had to do the same, he did have more knowledge on technical aspects. Unfortunately, Zak has to rely on instincts, gut feelings and put total trust in what he is being told.

I do think losing Ron was a mistake, but I don't think there is any hope in hell of him ever returning now. From what I've read the bridges between him and the other stakeholders have been well and truly burned, the ash collected and finely distributed to every corner of the world, and beyond, and any vestige of his legacy altered beyond recognition.

I also agree that Zak appears out of his depth and is not the right man to run the racing side from the evidence so far. They seem quite lost on the whole

[Rockie]

I don't understand what the heck is going on there.

For me, it just seems like the new management is nowhere on all sides.

Luckily they kept Andrea Stella, which has F1 background. Gil de Ferran could go either way I guess.

There is no further evidence needed that Ron has to come back. With or without Zak Brown there.

Zak Brown was brought for commercial reasons. Now he is running the team.

I don't doubt his intentions, I am sure he is trying everything to make things work. What I am afraid of, is the fact that to also run the more technical aspects, he has to trust people. While Ron had to do the same, he did have more knowledge on technical aspects. Unfortunately, Zak has to rely on instincts, gut feelings and put total trust in what he is being told.

Whatever our views Ron is gone, pretty sure he's sold his stake but not 100%

Ron cashed out fully on his entire stake in Mclaren last year.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars ... Laren.html

[Zoue]

I don't understand what the heck is going on there.

For me, it just seems like the new management is nowhere on all sides.

Luckily they kept Andrea Stella, which has F1 background. Gil de Ferran could go either way I guess.

There is no further evidence needed that Ron has to come back. With or without Zak Brown there.

Zak Brown was brought for commercial reasons. Now he is running the team.

I don't doubt his intentions, I am sure he is trying everything to make things work. What I am afraid of, is the fact that to also run the more technical aspects, he has to trust people. While Ron had to do the same, he did have more knowledge on technical aspects. Unfortunately, Zak has to rely on instincts, gut feelings and put total trust in what he is being told.

Whatever our views Ron is gone, pretty sure he's sold his stake but not 100%

Yes I think that's true and he now has no connection to McLaren anymore

[mcdo]

I'm glad he's gone. I have no idea what he brought to the McLaren table. However, I'm not sure what Gil de Ferran is going to bring instead. It reeks of Zak Brown hiring his mate

edit: Come to think of it, de Ferran is another solid Indy 500 link. A man who can make arrangements in IndyCar...

[PRFAN]

Step 1: Bring in new leadership
Step 2: Acquire additional sponsorship (they will never return to the front with their current budget)
Step 3: Allow Alonso to move on (he's the guy you get when you're ready to fight for a title; not when you are trying to build up to that point)
Step 4: Formulate a long-term strategy that features a plan to regain works team status and that focuses on capitalizing on the 2021 regs overhaul

Do all of this and they might make it. If they are still nowhere in 2021, you will never again see McLaren as a top team.

I think 2 and 3 have the potential to conflict. Alonso brings the team headlines and sponsors might be keen to see some of that. I think there are benefits to keeping Alonso, both for that and the fact that without him McLaren would likely sink even lower in the WCC rankings, which in turns loses money. Otherwise plan seems sound, depending of course on whether new manufacturers contemplate entering the sport after the new regs are finalised

You make a good point but you also have to consider the cost side of Alonso. He's one of the three highest paid drivers in F1 (along with Hamilton and Vettel). I'm not sure how much additional sponsorship he brings to the team but it would have to greatly offset that cost to be worth it. As you mentioned earlier in the thread, McLaren have left a lot of money on the table in their negotiations with potential sponsors. They need to swallow their pride and fill up that chassis with logos already.

Mostly I just think that moving on from Alonso creates an organization that has congruence with itself; where all stakeholders are properly aligned. Patience and a long-term focus is where they need to be right now. The sense of urgency that comes with the constant "when will you give Alonso a great car" narrative is not actually what they need at the moment.

Agree!

This team needs a "fresh start", maybe Eric was able to secure the McLeren job due to the resuls Lotus was able to get, but it begs the question of what was Eric real contribution to that, I just never rated him well, something missing.

Now that Eric is gone and well aware of all the positives Alonso brings, I will put some presaure on Alonso to shut him up, stop talking or leave. Sometimes it seems Alonso has this tean hostage, everybody in fear of what will be his next radio outburst, justified or not and that helps bring down team morale. Alonso wants to always make the team "his team" by using what he says as ammunition.

I think Alonso needs to leave, for his and the teams sake, let him go to WEC, sort the car out and Stoff will get better and a new driver with new perspective and attitude will also produce points. The net effect on championship points might be +0 with both drivers sharing the load with a better car and Alonso out, but the team will be in a better place to improve

Im not saying Alonso is the cause and not having him might be a negative at first, but in the long run it will be the best thing to do. The team does not need this Alonso pressure right now.

[Teddy007]

starting to sound like Ferrari's reaction to underperformance of the car, lets hope they get the turnaround Ferrari finally did...

Yep.

For the first time even I am wondering what on earth is going on (after defending them because they had better progress this season vs previous ones).

I will say what I said a few years ago: should never have thrown Whitmarsh out the door. Just because some people didn't like him. Likewise for Ron, I liked him - said it how it was.

[AravJ]

About time, he should pay back all his bonus and salary back for wrongly pointing the finger to Honda only and losing all that sponsorship money.
He has only taken mclaren backwards. Now hopefully someone will put things right. But I fear systemic issues take time and pain among staff to resolve.

In all fairness I believe the sponsors were lost under Ron. A lot of it rumour and hearsay of course but it appears that Ron fell out with a number of sponsors and refused to lower the rate card even after McLaren started dropping down the grid. I could be wrong but I don't believe EB was ever involved on the commercial side

I fully agree with you about Ron. I guess though with honda money Ron had time on his hands to get what he wanted from sponsorship. But losing honda money because they thought they had a car that was among the top three is on Eric. That has got to be one of the most costly thoughts in F1 history. They now have less money to fix their mistakes.

[dompclarke]

starting to sound like Ferrari's reaction to underperformance of the car, lets hope they get the turnaround Ferrari finally did...

Yep.

For the first time even I am wondering what on earth is going on (after defending them because they had better progress this season vs previous ones).

I will say what I said a few years ago: should never have thrown Whitmarsh out the door. Just because some people didn't like him. Likewise for Ron, I liked him - said it how it was.

My view on Whitmarsh is they should never have promoted him when Ron was shuffled off in the aftermath of spygate. He may be good for the team, but don't think he was right to lead it.
Who they should have got, that's another story and I'm not sure who was kicking around at the time so maybe they had only one choice?

[mcdo]

Step 1: Bring in new leadership
Step 2: Acquire additional sponsorship (they will never return to the front with their current budget)
Step 3: Allow Alonso to move on (he's the guy you get when you're ready to fight for a title; not when you are trying to build up to that point)
Step 4: Formulate a long-term strategy that features a plan to regain works team status and that focuses on capitalizing on the 2021 regs overhaul

Do all of this and they might make it. If they are still nowhere in 2021, you will never again see McLaren as a top team.

I think 2 and 3 have the potential to conflict. Alonso brings the team headlines and sponsors might be keen to see some of that. I think there are benefits to keeping Alonso, both for that and the fact that without him McLaren would likely sink even lower in the WCC rankings, which in turns loses money. Otherwise plan seems sound, depending of course on whether new manufacturers contemplate entering the sport after the new regs are finalised

You make a good point but you also have to consider the cost side of Alonso. He's one of the three highest paid drivers in F1 (along with Hamilton and Vettel). I'm not sure how much additional sponsorship he brings to the team but it would have to greatly offset that cost to be worth it. As you mentioned earlier in the thread, McLaren have left a lot of money on the table in their negotiations with potential sponsors. They need to swallow their pride and fill up that chassis with logos already.

Mostly I just think that moving on from Alonso creates an organization that has congruence with itself; where all stakeholders are properly aligned. Patience and a long-term focus is where they need to be right now. The sense of urgency that comes with the constant "when will you give Alonso a great car" narrative is not actually what they need at the moment.

Agree!

This team needs a "fresh start", maybe Eric was able to secure the McLeren job due to the resuls Lotus was able to get, but it begs the question of what was Eric real contribution to that, I just never rated him well, something missing.

Now that Eric is gone and well aware of all the positives Alonso brings, I will put some presaure on Alonso to shut him up, stop talking or leave. Sometimes it seems Alonso has this tean hostage, everybody in fear of what will be his next radio outburst, justified or not and that helps bring down team morale. Alonso wants to always make the team "his team" by using what he says as ammunition.

I think Alonso needs to leave, for his and the teams sake, let him go to WEC, sort the car out and Stoff will get better and a new driver with new perspective and attitude will also produce points. The net effect on championship points might be +0 with both drivers sharing the load with a better car and Alonso out, but the team will be in a better place to improve

Im not saying Alonso is the cause and not having him might be a negative at first, but in the long run it will be the best thing to do. The team does not need this Alonso pressure right now.

There's a couple of ways of looking at it. McLaren have given Alonso all the power. Right now I believe he's the CEO in everything but name. And it's the McLaren team that have made that happen. Alonso's top drive options are spent, so effectively running McLaren is his next best option. I guess he's just praying that the upcoming regulation changes suit the midfield teams - something that Liberty wants to happen. I doubt the 2019 changes will do much, but maybe the 2021 rules will.

McLaren could start fresh with Lando Norris. But in all reality, they'd be absolutely screwed right now without a top 5 driver. Without Alonso they'd probably be behind Sauber, languishing at 9th in the points table. And being embarrassed by Toro Rosso-Honda while they're at it.

McLaren need Alonso as much as Alonso needs McLaren. They're both stuck in a never-ending spiral of underachievement. But neither side sees a way out without the other.

Saying that, I think he will do IndyCar. But my guess is that he'd come back, Schumacher-esque. The old master showing that he's still got it. I could be wrong - I've speculated many things about Alonso's career and have often ended up completely wrong.

[A.J.]

Zak should be the next to be fired (or demoted at the least) - he's a VP of sales type of guy, he shouldn't be running the racing team.

[ynot22]

starting to sound like Ferrari's reaction to underperformance of the car, lets hope they get the turnaround Ferrari finally did...

Yep.

For the first time even I am wondering what on earth is going on (after defending them because they had better progress this season vs previous ones).

I will say what I said a few years ago: should never have thrown Whitmarsh out the door. Just because some people didn't like him. Likewise for Ron, I liked him - said it how it was.

That’s strange. My memory of Ron is as one of the most duplicitous people in F1 and that’s saying something. I think he even inspired the term “Ron Speak”.
Unfortunately I don’t see a clear path to McLarens former greatness until the next new regs regardless of who’s at the helm. Their problems are systemic and endemic and require a big change in management and philosophy. Too much marketing and not enough racing tech.

[Zoue]

About time, he should pay back all his bonus and salary back for wrongly pointing the finger to Honda only and losing all that sponsorship money.
He has only taken mclaren backwards. Now hopefully someone will put things right. But I fear systemic issues take time and pain among staff to resolve.

In all fairness I believe the sponsors were lost under Ron. A lot of it rumour and hearsay of course but it appears that Ron fell out with a number of sponsors and refused to lower the rate card even after McLaren started dropping down the grid. I could be wrong but I don't believe EB was ever involved on the commercial side

I fully agree with you about Ron. I guess though with honda money Ron had time on his hands to get what he wanted from sponsorship. But losing honda money because they thought they had a car that was among the top three is on Eric. That has got to be one of the most costly thoughts in F1 history. They now have less money to fix their mistakes.

It may have been, but I don't think Eric had that much power tbh. I think that kind of decision would have been taken by Zak and the shareholders

[pc27b]

anyone at mclaren involved in cutting honda, to keep alonso, ought to be fired

[dompclarke]

anyone at mclaren involved in cutting honda, to keep alonso, ought to be fired

What if it was the owners who pushed for it?

[kleefton]

anyone at mclaren involved in cutting honda, to keep alonso, ought to be fired

But if they had kept Honda they would still be moaning about them. Thats pretty much guaranteed.
I still think it was a necessary divorce. At least they realize that internal changes are needed now, and their problems run way deeper than just the power unit they are using.

Also feel that they should let alonso walk. At his point in his career he wants to compete for championships and will never be content with a midfield car. Mclaren needs to realize that if average drivers cannot score points in their cars then the cars are probably less than average. So the focus should be on producing better cars, not watching alonso doing miraculous drives to only score a few points.