Seidl happy with McLaren, but still sees ‘a lot more to do’

McLaren F1 boss Andreas Seidl is happy with the team’s new management structure but insists there’s still “a lot more to do” in terms of its internal organization.

Over a year ago, McLaren CEO Zak Brown initiated a significant restructuring of the Woking-based outfit’s various departments.

Among the most important changes, former Toro Rosso technical director James Key was poached from the junior bull squad while Seidl – who had led Porsche’s successful LMP1 efforts in the WEC – was also brought on board.

After a few months at the helm, and with the first half of McLaren’s 2019 campaign now done and dusted, Seidl offered an account of the initiatives and changes he’s undertaken since his arrival.

Brown says next F1 boss must come ‘without baggage’

“I’m a big fan of traditional motorsport structures,” said the German, in a Q&A published on the McLaren website.

“And therefore the first thing I put in place was a simple and easy to understand organisation, which is based on three key divisions: we have an engineering department under the leadership of James Key (Technical Director); the production department, led by Piers Thynne (Production Director), and the racing side under the responsibility of Andrea Stella (Performance Director), and Paul James (Team Manager).

“Piers’s appointment is an internal promotion, and I’m pleased to see the talent within the team rising to the challenges we face going forward.

“I’m very happy with the direct leadership team I have in place, but there’s obviously still a lot more to do in terms of the optimum set-up of the organisation going into the future.

“The 2021 regulations will play an important role here as well. I want to be in a position where everyone inside the team clearly understands our leadership structure, our common goals, targets and plans.

“That applies not only to our structure, but also to our general ways of working.

“It’s important that we modernise our processes and create an environment within the team that supports this positive momentum and motivates everyone to continue performing at a very high level.”

©McLaren