‘Toxic’ McLaren feeling the heat
McLAREN racing director Eric Boullier has insisted he will not resign despite fresh turmoil sweeping through Formula One’s biggest British team.
McLaren’s troubled season descended into chaos after a whistleblower described the atmosphere at their Woking headquarters as “toxic”, branded the team’s hierarchy as “clueless” and revealed staff were rewarded with small chocolate bars for their gruelling work.
The McLaren management team are understood to be furious with the anonymous individual and Boullier did not rule out detecting and taking action against the leaking staff member.
Lewis Hamilton, who trails Sebastian Vettel by one championship point, was fastest in practice as he dominated on F1’s return to France. But his former team have not won since he left in 2012 and are deep in the middle of their worst run since their inception 52 years ago. Boullier has presided over the torrid spell after being hired from Lotus in 2014, and yesterday he played down the reported turbulence before refusing to take questions over his own future.
It is understood McLaren attempted to ease the pressure on Boullier by pulling him from the televised press briefing and drafting in chief executive Zak Brown. A member of McLaren’s public relations department even gestured to the FIA’s head of communications to halt proceedings.
“I will not resign,” said Boullier. “We are all responsible for SWEATING: Boullier is under fire at McLaren the car’s performance. I’ve won races and world championships with every team I’ve managed and this is a record you cannot take away from me.” Asked if McLaren would take action against the whistleblower, Boullier said: “This is an internal matter which we need to discuss. It is just a couple of grumpy people. We are not happy where we are, but it’s a journey.” McLaren have failed to make progress this season despite their divorce from Honda. McLaren spent an estimated £60 million to sever ties with the Japanese engine supplier and switch to Renault. Although star driver Fernando Alonso papered the cracks with a promising early-season results, they remain well off the pace.