McLaren lands senior Aston F1 aerodynamicist amid aggressive recruitment push
Following last week’s restructuring of its technical department, which involved the departure of technical director James Key and the confirmation of former Ferrari member David Sanchez joining in 2024, McLaren has been aggressively pursuing top-tier personnel.
After conducting a thorough review of its organization during the offseason, it was concluded that the aero department needed improvement to align with the team’s ambition to climb up the grid.
McLaren’s effort to expand its aero department has resulted in agreements with 15 individuals, some of whom have already joined, while others will serve gardening leave before making the transition.
It is believed that the senior staff includes members from top teams such as Ferrari, Red Bull, and Aston Martin.
One of the key figures is Aston Martin’s head of aero performance and analysis, Alperin, who has contributed to the transformation of the British manufacturer that currently stands as Red Bull’s closest competitor in F1.
Alperin possesses extensive F1 experience, having spent time at AGS and Minardi before joining British American Racing and ultimately serving as head of aerodynamics at Honda from 2006 to 2007.
Post-Honda, Alperin became the head of aerodynamic development at Sauber from 2008 until 2019 and then moved to Aston Martin as chief of aerodynamic technology.
s part of McLaren’s recent restructuring, the Woking-based team established a new Technical Executive Team composed of Sanchez (car concept), Peter Prodromou (aerodynamics), and Neil Houldey (engineering and design). The trio will report directly to team principal Andrea Stella.
McLaren believes that change is necessary to capitalize on the opportunities presented by its new wind tunnel and simulator, which will become fully operational later this year.
CEO Zak Brown acknowledged that the team’s structure had been lacking in recent years, which is why significant changes are being made now.
“It has been clear to me for some time that our technical development has not moved at a quick enough pace to match our ambition of returning to the front of the grid,” he said.
“I’m pleased that, having completed a full review with Andrea, we are now able to implement the restructure required to set the wheels in motion to turn this around.”