McLaren Automotive is seriously considering Michael Leiters, a former Ferrari executive, for the role of CEO, according to sources who spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity.
Discussions are still ongoing within the McLaren board but the sources said that Leiters is one of the main candidates being evaluated for the top job at the U.K. supercar manufacturer. Leiters formerly held the role of chief technology officer at Ferrari, from which he stepped down in December following the arrival of a new CEO at the Italian company.
McLaren has been looking for a new CEO since Mike Flewitt, who previously held the role, stepped down suddenly in October 2021, after many years with the company. Since then, Michael Macht, the McLaren Group’s non-executive director, has been responsible for technical and operational functions.
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“I feel incredibly proud to have led McLaren Automotive through most of its first, highly-successful decade and am privileged to have played a part in the incredible McLaren story,” said Flewitt in October. “This young company’s success is a testament to the many passionate and talented people I have had the pleasure of working with and I look forward to seeing that success continue.”
McLaren is recovering from a difficult 2021 and has been repairing its finances since the pandemic stopped production and challenged the sustainability of its Formula 1 team, which the company’s shareholders could potentially sell to Audi.
Leiter’s departure from Ferrari coincided with a shakeup precipitated by Benedetto Vigna, the company’s new CEO. A veteran of the tech industry, Vigna is widely seen to be leading the Italian brand in a new direction that prepares it for a future in which electrification seems inevitable.
