After a long and successful association, Gary Paffett and McLaren will part company at the end of the 2014 Formula 1 season, with McLaren changing engine partner from Mercedes-Benz to Honda.
Gary began working with McLaren in 2006, and has spent the past eight years as a combination of test driver and reserve driver.
He has spent hundreds of hours driving test laps in McLaren’s state-of-the-art simulator, and the data that his work has produced has been hugely valuable to the ultra-high-tech process of designing and developing McLaren’s Formula 1 cars.
Moreover, Gary has always enjoyed working with McLaren: "I’ve loved working for McLaren and hope my feedback and input over the years has been beneficial. 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 (COO and acting CEO, McLaren Racing) added: "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. Just as important, he’s a great guy. We wish him well."
Gary will compete in the German DTM championship and continue his association with Mercedes-Benz and team HWA EURONICS.