Seidl's four-year tenure at McLaren comes to an end after he joined the team at the beginning of 2019.
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Former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl will now serve as the Sauber Group’s new CEO. Seidl has been replaced by Andrea Stella, the executive director of racing at McLaren. Seidl’s four-year tenure at McLaren comes to an end after he joined the team at the beginning of 2019 and guided Porsche to victory in the World Endurance Championship. After Mattia Binotto was replaced by Ferrari’s new team principal Frederic Vasseur, Seidl was given a new position at Sauber. The company that runs Alfa Romeo’s F1 entry, Sauber, is currently looking for a new team principal because Vasseur also served in that capacity in addition to his duties as managing director and CEO of Sauber.
For one more season in 2023, Sauber will continue to compete as Alfa Romeo. In 2026, it will become the works team for Audi. Seidl said the team has “a rich history in Formula 1 and is an organisation I know really well from my time working and living in Hinwil for four years. I can’t wait to join the team and work with all the colleagues at the Sauber Group on the ambitious goals we have set together.”
Seidl was hired by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown to restructure the team after its unsuccessful 2018 campaign. In 2020, they improved to third place in the constructors standings under his direction. Following the team’s switch from Renault to Mercedes engines, the team has regressed in recent seasons. However, a one-two finish in the Italian Grand Prix of 2021 at Monza brought an end to a nine-year winless streak. This season, McLaren finished fifth in the standings despite only achieving one podium.
“I joined McLaren in 2019 and have really enjoyed working with Zak and the team,” said Seidl. “We have achieved some good results, and I will always have fond memories, with Monza being a personal and career highlight. The team is on a great trajectory, and I would like to thank everyone for their support, trust and commitment.”
“Thanks to Zak and the shareholders for their understanding of my personal decision to move on to another challenge. I wish Andrea and the team all the best for the future,” he added. CEO Zak Brown expressed his gratitude to Seidl, saying that he provided great leadership for the team and was enjoyable to work with.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with Andreas,” McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said. “He has provided great leadership for the team and has played a significant part in our F1 performance recovery plan and ongoing journey to return to the front of the grid. I thank him for the transparency throughout the process which gave us time to plan accordingly.”
Stella is being promoted from her position as executive director of racing to team principal, which leaves a vacancy at McLaren. He was a former employee of Ferrari who joined McLaren in 2015 as head of race operations. In 2018, he was promoted to performance director, and a year later, he was named executive director of racing. His appointment as team principal is effective right away.
“I feel privileged to take on the team principal role as the next stage of being part of the McLaren F1 team,” Stella said. “I am grateful to Zak and the shareholders for their trust in me and to all my colleagues and those who have supported me throughout my F1 career. We are realistic about the amount of work ahead of us to move back up the grid, but I am excited and encouraged that I am in this journey together with a team full of talent, experience, racing spirit and dedication.”
