McLaren extends contract of F1 aero chief Prodromou

The McLaren Formulation 1 staff has prolonged the contract of its aerodynamics chief Peter Prodromou, who performed a key half in its 2024 constructors’ title.

The staff introduced on Tuesday that Prodromou would proceed in his capability of aerodynamics technical director on a long-term deal because it intends to maintain collectively the squad that returned it to the entrance of F1 over the previous two seasons.

“It’s my nice privilege to verify the extension of Peter’s contract on a multi-year deal,” mentioned staff principal Andrea Stella. “The cultural, organisational and technical management Peter has introduced has been invaluable, and he has been a key architect of the staff’s efficiency turnaround, on and off the monitor, securing the staff’s ninth constructors’ championship in 2024.

“The journey we’ve got been on collectively as a staff, we couldn’t have achieved with out Peter, and we stay up for persevering with our quest of preventing for additional World Championships collectively.”

Prodromou added: “I’m delighted to proceed my function as Technical Director, Aerodynamics at McLaren F1 Group. It’s an honour to be a part of such a collaborative staff and contributing to this robust upwards trajectory.

“Following final season’s success, I stay up for contributing additional to our shared ambition of securing extra world championships. I’m grateful to Zak and Andrea for his or her continued confidence in me as a Technical Director, Aerodynamics and in addition to all my colleagues within the staff who’ve offered the very best class of help to me at a private {and professional} degree.”

Prodromou is one in every of McLaren’s longest-serving members, having first joined its design workplace in 1991. He rose to the ranks to change into chief aerodynamicist earlier than leaving for Pink Bull in 2006, however then returned to McLaren in 2014 as chief engineer.

His function at McLaren expanded beneath the management of incoming staff boss Stella in 2023, with Stella selling Prodromou to aerodynamics technical director as a part of a three-pronged management construction, which additionally closely leans on engineering chief Neil Houldey and chief designer Rob Marshall.

On the time Stella felt that beneath the earlier technical construction Prodromou’s abilities had not been absolutely exploited.

“In aerodynamics, we wished to have a technical director that leads aerodynamics. Full empowerment to this technical director,” Stella mentioned when he introduced his new construction in 2023. “And we wished to unleash a really robust useful resource that we had internally, and that, for some causes was under-utilised, like Peter Prodromou, one of the competent consultants in F1 in relation to aerodynamics.

“This wasn’t occurring as effectively because it ought to have occurred, so that is one thing we wished to repair. And it completely suits the mannequin on the identical time by giving aerodynamics clear management, clear steering as to the ideas that we wished to develop and result in the automobile.”