Even though Rob Marshall has not yet had the greatest influence on the car, McLaren is pleased about his signing – will the benefits be felt in 2025 and 2026?
When McLaren made a major structural change a few months ago, the team seemed to be at rock bottom. After the first two races of 2023, they were still without points and subsequently parted ways with technical director James Key, among others, to create a new management structure. And it seems to be bearing fruit: just a year and a half later, McLaren is world champion.
And yet one of the most important new signings has not yet had a major impact: Rob Marshall. McLaren was able to woo the experienced engineer away from Red Bull, signing him as their new head of engineering ahead of the 2024 season, before appointing him as their chief designer after just a few months in the wake of David Sanchez’s sudden departure.
The foundations of the MCL38 were therefore laid before Marshall’s arrival, but he could still become an important building block for 2025 and beyond.
“Rob came with a wealth of experience, technical knowledge and a good reputation,” says team principal Andrea Stella, praising the first few months of working together: ‘We were even more impressed than we had expected,’ he says, explaining this in terms of Marshall’s qualities and his knowledge of how to design a car.
“This is very important for 2025 and will be very important for 2026,“ he says. ‘When I sit next to him and see how he works, I say, ’It was a really good idea to get Rob,’ because he’s doing all the work for 2025 and 2026, and that was a role we lacked at McLaren before,” says Stella.
In addition, Marshall brings “fantastic human qualities” to Woking and is valued there as a “very positive person”: “Everyone enjoys working with him, he is full of energy,” praises Stella. “You can see him in the garage and quite often he is simply lying on the floor under the car.”
Marshall has no problem rolling up his sleeves and getting the job done, the team manager emphasizes. “Everyone appreciates his incredible knowledge and experience, but at the same time, his hands and sometimes his head are dirty because he’s been handling the parts with his hands,” he says.
“This is something we’ve been missing before, and we’re glad to have him in this role now.”
