McLaren extends F1 contract with aero director Prodromou

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

The Woking outfit introduced on Tuesday Prodromou would proceed in his capability of aerodynamics technical director on a long-term deal because the workforce 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 substantiate the extension of Peter’s contract on a multi-year deal,” mentioned workforce principal Andrea Stella.

“The cultural, organisational and technical management Peter has introduced has been invaluable, and he has been a key architect of the workforce’s efficiency turnaround, on and off the observe, securing the workforce’s ninth constructors’ championship in 2024.

“The journey now we have been on collectively as a workforce, we couldn’t have executed with out Peter, and we stay up for persevering with our quest of combating 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 workforce 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 [Brown, CEO] and Andrea for his or her continued confidence in me as a Technical Director, Aerodynamics and in addition to all my colleagues within the workforce who’ve offered the best class of help to me at a private {and professional} stage.”

Prodromou is one among McLaren’s longest serving members, having first joined its design workplace in 1991.

He rose by the ranks to turn out to be 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 underneath the management of the newly-appointed Stella in 2023, who promoted Prodromou to aerodynamics technical director as a part of a three-pronged management construction, which additionally closely leaned on engineering chief Neil Houldey and chief designer Rob Marshall.

On the time Stella felt that underneath the earlier technical construction Prodromou’s skills had not been totally 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.

“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, probably the most competent specialists in F1 in relation to aerodynamics.

“This wasn’t taking place as effectively because it ought to have occurred, so that is one thing we wished to repair.

“And it completely matches the mannequin on the similar time by giving aerodynamics clear management, clear steerage as to the ideas that we wished to develop and result in the automobile.”