The head of McLaren's Formula 1 team "has departed just five months after joining," according to Rebecca Clancy of the LONDON TIMES. Jost Capito was appointed CEO of the Woking team by "long-standing" Chair Ron Dennis and started work in September. The 58-year-old's position "quickly became vulnerable" after Dennis was placed on gardening leave last November and replaced by American Zak Brown, who joined as exec director. McLaren confirmed the departure of the German, saying they could "not find common ground" to make the team successful again. A McLaren spokesperson said, "Jost Capito joined McLaren after four successful years at VW Motorsport, with a strong commitment to bringing success back to McLaren. ... Regrettably, we have not been able to find common ground with Jost with regard to what is and will be needed to make the team successful again" (LONDON TIMES, 2/7). The BBC's Andrew Benson reported Capito "has become a victim of McLaren's decision to split with Dennis." Sources close to Capito said that he had not been working day-to-day at the company since early December but had remained "formally an employee." He "only recently agreed departure terms" (BBC, 2/7).
