Newey Planning to Restructure McLaren

McLaren's technical director Adrian Newey has revealed that he is planning to step back from designing Formula One cars for the Woking-based squad to rearrange the team's structure.

"I think I have been able to show I know how to build winning cars," Newey told Italy's Autospint magazine. "Now my objective is to restructure McLaren. At the moment my main task isn't to design the chassis, but to create a team of engineers that is less dependent on me.

"I'd like to create a structure where my role won't be so important, so I can offer advice when it's required. The big teams now have more than 100 engineers, so technical departments can't be run like they were in the past, and single individuals with competence in every area aren't needed any more."

The 42-year old Briton, one of the most prestigious technical directors in Grand Prix racing, was rumoured last year to be thinking about leaving Formula One in order to design yachts for the America's Cup, the most prestigious yacht race in the world.

Newey's comments are likely to increase the speculation about Arrows' technical director Mike Coughlan joining McLaren, after Ron Dennis admitted at last weekend's Canadian Grand Prix that he has had talks with Coughlan, but that was not yet in a position to switch teams.

"There is dialogue between the team and Mike," Dennis said on Sunday. "But Mike's ability to join any Grand Prix team is very much to do with his contractual position with his current team. Until he's in a position to move then I presume he is going to stay where he is."

Coughlan was not at the Canadian race, but an Arrows spokeswoman said he was currently on a two week holiday but would be returning to the team.