Audi poaches key McLaren figure as F1 silly season continues: Reports

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl might be heading for a shock departure as he looks set to move to Audi. According to a recent report shared by Speedcafe, Seidl looks set to become an integral part of Audi's plans to join F1.

Seidl has been a part of the Woking-based squad for four years now and has overseen the team's re-emergence from the dark days of the Honda partnership. Under his leadership, McLaren became the top midfield team on the grid, picking up its first pole position and win since 2012 last year.

The report from Speedcafe states:

"Andreas Seidl is set for a shock departure from McLaren Racing to take up a role as part of Audi’s entry into Formula 1. Speedcafe.com has learnt the German will leave his post as Team Principal of McLaren after less than four years in the job. He’s poised to take up a role helping Audi enter F1, after the automaker announced its plans to enter the sport for the 2026 season with its own power unit and a relationship with Sauber Motorsport."

In a way, the move does make sense as Audi has already started work on its power unit at its new facility in Ingolstadt. Additionally, with Frederic Vasseur leaving Alfa Romeo for Ferrari, the position of team principal is vacant at the Swiss team.

Seidl's association with Audi precedes his F1 stint. He was part of Porsche's WEC campaign that took Mark Webber to the title and has always maintained great relations with the German auto major. The opportunity with Audi does look interesting but it will surely leave behind a massive hole in the Woking-based squad.

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Is Andreas Seidl's departure a cause of concern for McLaren?

Andreas Seidl's departure should set off warning lights in the Woking-based squad as his exit at this stage does not inspire confidence within the team.

McLaren appeared to be on the cusp of getting back to the front last season when it secured its first pole position with Lando Norris since 2012 and first win with Daniel Ricciardo as well. Since then, the team's performance has been disappointing, having slipped further down to 5th in the 2022 F1 championship as the car was just not good enough. With a rookie in the form of Oscar Piastri joining the team next season, there should be serious questions about the direction in which the team is going right now.