Eight shock Formula 1 team principal changes

Yahoo! Sports - News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

21 March 2026 at 13:32

2007 - Ferrari hero Ross Brawn moves to Honda

Having played a key role in every world title won by Michael Schumacher as technical director at Benetton and at Ferrari, Ross Brawn left the Scuderia at the same time as the German, in late 2006. One year later, he was appointed as Honda team principal, taking on a real challenge in a works outfit that finished eighth in the 2007 constructors’ championship, with just six points to its name.

“The reason I went there was that Honda had great facilities – comparable to Ferrari and potentially bigger and stronger,” Brawn told GP Racing in January 2017. “The resources they had in Japan and the budget they were committing was massive.

“My thinking was that there was clearly something wrong with the organisation if they had those resources and weren't achieving their full potential. I wanted to be able to fix it.

“What had happened was that the two sides of the organisation – powertrain in Japan and chassis in the UK – had come apart and were blaming each other.”

Ross Brawn, Team Principal, Honda Racing F1 Team with the RA108

Brawn’s experience at the top-level Ferrari outfit therefore came in handy.

“After a month or so,” he continued, “when I sat down in front of the board and they asked me what the problems were, I could say, 'The engine's not good enough and the chassis isn't good enough, and each group thinks it's the other one's fault. If we don't face up to the fact that both sides need to massively improve, we're not going to go anywhere.'

“And they were shocked, because they'd had a lot of management-level people in Japan telling them that the engine was fabulous, and that the only reason they weren't winning was that the chassis was no good.”

So Brawn set a clear timeline: a year to sort things out, a second year with decent results, and a third year as a title contender.

Honda’s 2008 campaign was equally tough, with Rubens Barrichello’s British Grand Prix podium finish a rare highlight. However, behind the scenes the squad was hard at work on the new-for-2009 regulations, which it dedicated three simultaneous wind tunnel programmes and two design teams to.

Alas, amid the 2008 financial crisis, Honda decided to pull the plug on its F1 programme. Brawn bought the team for one symbolic pound; the renamed Brawn GP won both championships in 2009, with Jenson Button winning the drivers’ title – one year earlier than Brawn had even planned.

2009 - Crashgate scandal pushes Flavio Briatore out at Renault

Nelson Piquet Jr., Renault F1 Team R28 crashes into the wall

When it emerged in August 2009 that the Renault team asked Nelson Piquet Jr to crash in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, causing a safety car intervention and paving the way for Fernando Alonso to win the race, the backlash was inevitable.

Team boss Flavio Briatore and executive director of engineering Pat Symonds, who were responsible for the conspiracy, left the squad; the Italian was banned from FIA events indefinitely, though a Paris court overturned the decision a few months later.

It was the end of an era, as Briatore had led the Enstone-based outfit throughout the 1990s and 2000s, winning two drivers’ championships with Michael Schumacher as Benetton and two more with Fernando Alonso as Renault. The businessman wouldn’t return to the outfit until 2024.

Technical director Bob Bell was named as acting team principal until Eric Boullier came onboard, as Renault sold its now-inconvenient team to Genii Capital.

2014 - Marco Mattiacci’s seven months at Ferrari

Marco Mattiacci, Ferrari Team Principal

Since Jean Todt stepped down as Ferrari team boss at the end of the 2007 season, the job has been one of the trickiest in motorsport.

Current F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali took over during the next six years, but F1’s technical revolution got off to a disastrous start in 2014 for the Scuderia. Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen failed to finish on the podium in the first three rounds, scoring a combined 33 points – meaning Ferrari was down in fifth in the constructors’ championship, albeit just 11 points away from second-placed Force India, amid Mercedes’ dominance.

Domenicali took the fall; Marco Mattiacci, previously the CEO of Ferrari North America, stepped in. The 43-year-old was picked as someone who understood the intricacies of the Ferrari culture, despite his lack of F1 knowledge.

Ferrari’s fortunes did not improve significantly throughout 2014 – there was not much Mattiacci could do about it, in fairness – and he ended up being pushed aside seven months later, with Philip Morris man Maurizio Arrivabene replacing him.

“We decided to appoint Maurizio Arrivabene because, at this historic moment in time for the Scuderia and for Formula 1, we need a person with a thorough understanding not just of Ferrari but also of the governance mechanisms and requirements of the sport,” Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne said.

“Maurizio has a unique wealth of knowledge: he has been extremely close to the Scuderia for years and, as a member of the F1 Commission, is also keenly aware of the challenges we are facing. He has been a constant source of innovative ideas focused on revitalisation of Formula 1.

"His managerial experience on a highly complex and closely regulated market is also of great importance, and will help him manage and motivate the team.”

Albeit short-lived, Marchionne’s time at the head of the Scuderia saw Ferrari sign four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel as its lead driver, which led to two title bids in 2017 and 2018.

2014 - Caterham janitor gets flabbergasting promotion before administrator takes over

A member of the Caterham team

What began as a new iteration of the iconic Team Lotus ended in complete disarray.

When Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes launched his Formula 1 team for 2010, he – and other new teams – had been promised a £40m budget cap that never materialised.

Like its backmarking rivals, the new Lotus squad was therefore severely underfunded; its F1 entry was granted in September 2009, and six months later, it was on the grid, five seconds off the pace.

Renamed as Caterham in 2012, the outfit’s performance peaked that year as Heikki Kovalainen outqualified both Toro Rossos on merit in Valencia, just two seconds off the top teams.

Still, Fernandes grew tired of throwing money at the team without any points in sight and scaled his investment back before selling the team to a Colin Kolles-led consortium of Swiss and Middle Eastern investors in July 2014.

Cyril Abiteboul – Caterham’s third team principal after Fernandes himself and Riad Asmat – was therefore replaced by former F1 driver Christijan Albers, assisted by Manfredi Ravetto.

Meanwhile, former Romanian football player Ioan Constantin Cojocaru was hired as a janitor in August. In an interview with Romanian website ProSport, Cojocaru suggested Ravetto recognised him, told him he shouldn’t be a cleaner and therefore promoted him to the role of director.

Regardless, the company entered administration in October, with administrators Smith & Williamson taking it over, which led to another shock team boss change.

Finbarr O'Connell, Caterham team

Smith & Williamson’s Finbarr O’Connell took on the team principal duties at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Caterham crowdfunded its way back to the grid for what ended up being its swan song.

O’Connell appeared in the FIA press conference alongside the likes of Toto Wolff and Christian Horner. “I was there to try to rescue an F1 team and I felt nothing but support and friendship from them and from the other F1 team principals,” the Irishman told Motorsport in 2024.

“Bernie [Ecclestone] wanted Caterham on the grid and racing at Abu Dhabi, especially as Marussia was not going to be racing,” he added. “He assisted the team with organising the transport of all the racing kit, although I did pay handsomely for that. Bernie also helped organise our tyres and petrol.

“But, as the ringmaster for this amazing travelling circus, Bernie also called all the shots right down to who he would issue pit passes to and him not wanting me on the grid. Bernie didn't want the world's motor racing press wondering who that guy was shaking hands on the grid with the Caterham drivers and it being explained that I am a restructuring specialist, which he probably saw as a corporate undertaker.”

2016 - Ron Dennis loses power struggle at McLaren

Ron Dennis, McLaren Executive Chairman in the garage

As McLaren’s team boss for three decades, Ron Dennis helped the team write a great deal of F1 history, with championship success for Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton under his tenure – no fewer than 10 drivers’ titles.

Dennis stepped aside in April 2009, letting Martin Whitmarsh take the reins of the F1 team, but retained his role as executive chairman of the McLaren company.

However, Dennis notoriously grew unhappy with Whitmarsh’s management of the outfit, and finally earned the board’s approval to take the lead of the team back in 2014, after an unsuccessful development avenue led to a podium-less 2013 campaign.

“My non-executive capacity started in January 2013 and it took me two days to realise it wasn't for me,” he said at the time. “I had great trepidation going into it and after some period of time it just didn't work for me.

“So I decided in the middle of the season it was this way or that way. At the beginning of this year I discussed this with my shareholders.

“They had six days to decide as a window. There was a lot of pre-discussion and, on the sixth day, the decision was taken.”

Dennis’ assessment of the team’s situation was somewhat bleak – “the company is unfit and it needs to get fit” – and optimistic – “I believe we will win races this year” – at the same time.

Kevin Magnussen, McLaren MP4-29 leads Jenson Button, McLaren MP4-29

Win races McLaren did not in 2014, and its engine partnership with struggling Honda – which was decided in 2013 – meant it wouldn’t be successful in the next few years either.

Behind the scenes, a power struggle was brewing as Dennis, a 25% shareholder in McLaren, was informed in October 2016 that his contract wouldn’t be renewed.

As a consequence, Dennis attempted to acquire full control of the company, with fellow shareholders Mansour Ojjeh and Bahrain sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat taking steps to remove the Briton from office.

Dennis was placed on gardening leave, which he unsuccessfully challenged.

The Zak Brown era had begun – and, although it took time, McLaren returned to championship glory with Lando Norris in 2025.

2021-2026 - Alpine’s revolving door of team bosses

Laurent Rossi, Alpine F1 Team CEO

Since Renault bought the Enstone-based team back ahead of the 2016 season, the French brand has had an unshakeable – so far unfulfilled – goal of returning to the front of the grid.

The outfit was renamed Alpine ahead of the 2021 campaign and became a symbol of instability under Renault group CEO Luca de Meo’s leadership.

Team boss Cyril Abiteboul departed then; Laurent Rossi became Alpine CEO, with Marcin Budkowski and Davide Brivio sharing traditional team principal duties in a dual set-up, but both of them left the F1 team just a year into their respective roles.

Meanwhile, in October 2021, Rossi launched a 100-race plan to turn the team into an F1 frontrunner – as it happens, this was exactly 100 grands prix ago, with Alpine yet to take a single victory since then.

Alpine parted ways with non-executive director and Renault legend Alain Prost in January 2022, with the four-time world champion dismayed by the direction taken by the team.

“I wasn't involved in decision-making anymore, I sometimes disagreed – completely – but I had to keep conveying the official word,” Prost told L’Equipe at the time.

“Even as a member of the board, I found out about some decisions at the last minute. I may not be listened to, but I should at least be informed in time. It's a matter of respect. Relationships have become more and more complicated, I could feel a lot of jealousy.

Alain Prost, Renault F1 Team

“Laurent Rossi wants to be alone, not to be annoyed by anyone,” he added. “He actually told me himself that he no longer needed an advisor.

“There is now a real drive to sideline a lot of people. Laurent Rossi wants all the spotlight.”

Longtime Force India/Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer was hired for the 2022 campaign, but the American disagreed with Rossi’s 100-race plan – he believed more time was required.

Szafnauer was therefore ousted ahead of the 2023 summer break, alongside sporting director Alan Permane, a member of the team for 34 years – coincidentally at the same time as chief technical officer Pat Fry signed with Williams.

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal, Alpine F1, Pat Fry

Rossi didn’t see out his 100-race plan anyway; he was replaced by Philippe Krief as Alpine CEO at the same time.

Renault F1 engine boss Bruno Famin was promoted to team principal following Szafnauer’s departure, but his tenure proved tricky.

Early in 2024, technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer resigned after the Alpines qualified on the back row and finished 17th and 18th in the season opener.

Famin was replaced as team principal by Oliver Oakes in August 2024, but the Briton lasted just nine months before departing too as Flavio Briatore, who had returned to the team as executive advisor in June 2014, regained control over the team. The Italian leads the squad alongside managing director Steve Nielsen, who was hired as Oakes’ official replacement.

Meanwhile, Luca de Meo, who arguably called the shots, left the Renault group in June 2025 to join luxury goods company Kering, which owns the likes of Gucci, Yves Saint-Laurent and Balenciaga.

2025 - Red Bull’s Christian Horner era ends

Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing

A few years ago, Christian Horner being removed as Red Bull F1 team principal would have been unthinkable.

Becoming F1’s youngest team boss at 31 years old in 2005, Horner led the outfit to eight drivers’ titles, but his position became increasingly precarious after Red Bull cofounder Dietrich Mateschitz died in 2022.

Horner faltered but survived an investigation into a complaint of inappropriate behaviour by a female employee in early 2024, having been cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal investigation.

Still, several key Red Bull figures departed over the last few years, most importantly chief designer Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley – and for some time it was clear that Horner’s future was at risk.

What made things trickier for Horner was that he had neither Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko nor the Max Verstappen camp on his side, and he was losing the support of the Yoovidhya family – Chalerm Yoovidhya owns 51% of Red Bull.

So, Horner held on for a few more months but eventually lost the battle in what was still a shock – even to him, according to what he told the staff in his farewell speech.

2026 - Adrian Newey becomes Aston Martin team principal – but not for long

Adrian Newey, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal

Aston Martin has officially been in Formula 1 for five years, but it has already gone through four team principals, including the aforementioned Szafnauer, Mike Krack and Andy Cowell.

Last November, Adrian Newey was announced as Aston’s team boss for 2026 – which was slightly puzzling as the Briton certainly had enough on his plate as managing technical partner, trying to turn the Silverstone-based outfit into a real top team for the very first time in its 35-year history.

Over the past three months, Newey has steered clear of some traditional responsibilities like media duties, and now he already has a crisis on his hands.

Aston Martin’s new works engine deal with Honda isn’t paying off, that’s the least one can say – especially as the team gave up on its Mercedes customer status.

As F1 has switched to new technical regulations, the Japanese manufacturer’s power unit suffers from excessive vibrations, which cause battery damage and driver health concerns. The Newey-designed AMR26, as a consequence, can’t even complete a grand prix.

Normal view