McLaren hire Red Bull and Lotus staff for 2014 push

2014 F1 season

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McLaren have confirmed several hirings in their technical department ahead of the new season.

Managing director Jonathan Neale confirmed the details of the new team members who have joined them from Red Bull and Lotus.

“We’ve made some very important key additions who’ll have a significant input into our future momentum – we’re incredibly pleased and excited to have hired the likes of Peter Prodromou and Dan Fallows, both from Red Bull Racing, and Ettore Griffini and Ciaron Pilbeam from Lotus, as well as more than a dozen top-level engineers from among the best teams in Formula One, all of whom have seen the capacity and potential that exists here at McLaren.”

Pilbeam joins the team after spending one year at Lotus, having previously been Mark Webber’s race engineer at Red Bull.

Rumours persist that Martin Whitmarsh is to be replaced as team principal. Eric Boullier, whose departure from Lotus was announced earlier today, has been linked with the role.

McLaren failed to achieve a single podium finish during their 2013 campaign, for the first time since 1980. “This year will be about developing and growing McLaren to a position where we can once again fight at the front,” added Neale.

The team are heading into their final year as a Mercedes engine customer before reuniting with Honda for 2015.

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Image © McLaren/Hoch Zwei

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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17 comments on “McLaren hire Red Bull and Lotus staff for 2014 push”

  1. Poor Lotus…

    F1 season really is about to start! F1 Fanatic today is F1 Fantastic!

  2. Oh dear; this nose is worse than I hoped it would be, from the Williams picture.

    1. The Schnozz era, they apparently are all going to look like a long nose with flaring nostrils.

  3. Worst season in 30 years, no title sponsor, a second-rate driver on one race seat, a rookie on the other, and missing the first test on a season with the biggest regulations change of the pas few years.
    Thank you Martin Whitmarsh you are doing an great job. I actually feel sorry for Ron, at 60 he should be thinking about enjoying his life a bit more… Instead he has to step in to stop good old Martin running Mclaren into the ground. Anyways, I think Mclaren designers have done a decent job with that nose, it is not as ugly as some anticipated. We will get used to it soon enough I guess.

    1. calling Button second rate is a bit harsh isn’t it? Second tier maybe…

      1. Second tier, second rate, you get the idea. I think the most worrying thing is the alarming lack of sponsorship on the car and drivers overalls. Can’t remember the last time Mclaren had so few, it is looking like the Sauber car when it launched in 2012. Pretty bare. @jodrell
        Another Martin Whitmarsh blunder. Get that guy out there please!

        1. Losing Lewis didn’t help McLarens marketability and Ron seemed to be part of that loss, I’d score it 1 all.

        2. McLaren have stated their financial future is secured for the season as many others have been pointing at the same thing. I wouldn’t worry to much about McLaren and their money situation. The teams currently in re-build mode, their forming a pretty awesome team in prep for when Honda lay down their hand next year!

        3. @pmccarthy_is_a_legend the lack of sponsor logos did strike me too. I’m not a McLaren fan so had to check last years launch photo’s to see if they had title sponsor logos at launch, and they did.

          I remember some talk last year that a deal for 2014 had been done but not announced in fairness to Vodafone. Odd to see that the new title sponsors stickers are not on the car for the launch.

          1. How can you call an F1 driver who has scored over 1,000 GP points “second tier/second rate? Explain.

    2. Experienced former world champion in one seat, young hotshot in the other. Honda turbo motors on the way, Ron Dennis in charge and the team set to make the first test. Sounds more like 1987-1988 to me.

      1. Sorry buddy but comparing Alain Prost to Jenson Button and Magnussen to Ayrton Senna is a bit of a stretch wouldn’t you say? Those who saw them race would be offended actually…
        Prost was a two time world champion in 88 and Senna already had wins and pole positions in the Lotus and was well on his way to F1 stardom. Button lucked into a championship and doesn’t hold a candle to Prost in pace, or racecraft.
        Magnussen, well, he has zero F1 starts, enough said.
        And as far as Honda goes in 1988 they already had the best engines in F1 which Ron had been chasing for two years. Right now they are an unknown quantity. Finally, in 88 Mclaren had a title sponsor (Malrboro), right now they have none. So no, nothing like 1988. But there is hope, Ron is still there so I have my fingers crossed for Mclaren. @kelsier

      2. That doesn’t mean as much as you are implying mate, especially since the scoring system changed in 2010. For instance, Mark Webber also has more than 1000 points but I think it is pretty clear to anyone who follows F1 that though a lovely fella, he is/was a second rate F1 driver too.

        1. That doesn’t mean as much as you are implying mate, especially since the scoring system changed in 2010. For instance, Mark Webber also has more than 1000 points but I think it is pretty clear to anyone who follows F1 that though a lovely fella, he is/was a second rate F1 driver too. @baron

  4. I think McLaren have already written off 2014 and are waiting on Honda in 2015.
    When they cannot even get the countdown clock for the official launch right (it was counting down to 12:00 local time, not 12:00 GMT), how many other things have they gotten wrong (just like in 2013)?

  5. PMccarthy it’s Lotus that are missing the first test not Mclaren.

    1. Thanks buddy, I thought I read somewhere Mclaren might miss it too? @sonia54 Hopefully you are right and they will be there, everyone will need to put mileage on those new cars.

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