Volkswagen motorsport boss Jost Capito will take up the role of chief executive officer at McLaren, the team confirmed on Thursday.
Whilst Jost will not take up the position immediately, McLaren said it will happen in “due course”, once Volkswagen has announced his replacement.
Acting CEO Jonathan Neale, who has been in the position for almost two years, will take up the newly-created role of chief operating officer for the McLaren Technology Group.
Eric Boullier will remain racing director of the F1 team and both Boullier and Jost will report to chairman Ron Dennis.
“He [Neale] has done an excellent job as acting CEO of McLaren Racing, and that experience, together with the expertise he has attained in non-motorsport industry positions previously, makes him ideally suited to such an important new role at McLaren Technology Group,” said Dennis.
“I first approached Jost last summer. He is an extremely impressive, competitive and ambitious individual, who comes to us with a very wide range of automotive and motorsport experience, encompassing senior positions at BMW, Porsche, Ford, Sauber and, since 2012, Volkswagen, leading the latter company’s World Rally Championship team to consecutive world titles in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
“From a motorsport perspective he has experience in not only the World Rally Championship but also sportscars, touring cars, motorcycle racing and Formula 1, about which he is hugely knowledgeable and infectiously passionate.
“I am therefore delighted to welcome Jost to McLaren, and I am certain he will work extremely well with Eric and all at McLaren Racing, building on the very good work they have already done to take the McLaren-Honda programme forward towards grand prix victories and world championship successes.”
Neale added that despite his greater responsibilities at the McLaren Group, he would continue to support Dennis and Capito to “to optimise the future success of the McLaren-Honda programme.”
