Gary Paffett will leave McLaren at the end of the current Formula 1 season after eight years, with the team switching from Mercedes to Honda-power from 2015.
Paffett joined the team in 2006, and has worked as both a reserve and test driver in that time. He has spent hundreds of hours in the teams’ simulator back in the factory; the data his work has produced being valuable to the development of the teams’ race cars.
The thirty-three-year-old thanked the team for the opportunity to work within the McLaren family, and wished them good luck for their future.
“I’ve loved working for McLaren and hope my feedback and input over the years has been beneficial,” said Paffett. “The engineers I’ve worked with have been kind enough to say that it has.
“I have many friends at McLaren, and I wish all of them the very best of luck for the future. Fingers crossed for a McLaren grand prix win or two next year!”
Jonathan Neale, the COO and the acting CEO of McLaren Racing, praised Paffett for his technical input for the team, and for his positive and gracious attitude in the past eight years.
“Gary has been an excellent member of the McLaren team for the best part of a decade, and his technical input, on test track and in simulator alike, has been hugely important to us,” insisted Neale. “Just as important, he’s a great guy. We wish him well.”
Paffett will remain with Mercedes-Benz in the German DTM Series with the HWA EURONICS team in 2015.
