McLaren has announced a management restructure following Richard Lapthorne's resignation as Non-Executive Chairmanship of the group.
The British company said on Tuesday that F1 team principal Martin Whitmarsh has been appointed to two new roles. Apart from working as head of the F1 team, Whitmarsh will now be Chief Executive Officer of the McLaren Group and Deputy Chairman of McLaren Automotive.
The company said each of the McLaren Group companies' managing directors will continue in their roles.
"Following the spin-off of McLaren Automotive from McLaren Group, I'm delighted to announce this management restructure," said McLaren boss Ron Dennis (shown above). "The two companies will have separate shareholdings, and will continue to be headquartered in Woking, Surrey [UK].
"McLaren Group will be based at the existing McLaren Technology Centre, while McLaren Automotive will be based at the brand-new McLaren Production Centre which is now being constructed alongside the MTC. I have enormous confidence in the senior management teams of both McLaren Group and McLaren Automotive, and am pleased that both companies will be extremely well served by those senior management teams, now and going forward into the future."
Dennis also paid homage to Lapthorne, who stayed at the team for just a year.
"I would like to pay tribute to Sir Richard Lapthorne for his work over the past year. His knowledge and experience have been very beneficial to the senior management teams of both McLaren Group and McLaren Automotive For that reason, as Executive Chairman of McLaren Group and McLaren Automotive and also personally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sir Richard for his wise counsel and wish him well for the future, personally as well as professionally."