McLaren to shut car plant for the summer

McLaren are to execute a complete shutdown of both their race and road car divisions during the forthcoming summer break.

As part of an understanding between the 12 Formula One teams, and to save costs, all marques must close their factories for a full 14-day period during the sport’s three-week long August holiday.

At McLaren’s Woking headquarters, it has also been decided their new car plant will also lock its doors, even though they are under no obligation to do so.

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: “We are shutting down midnight on Sunday after the Hungarian Grand Prix.

“As it happens we’re also shutting down our automotive production even though we don’t need to do it.

“And we’re not doing it to avoid any aspersions being cast by other teams. It is a separate company.

“I don’t know what Ferrari are doing, whether they shut down their automotive side. But I don’t have any difficulty, in the submissions they make, that tell me their automotive side will be shut down.

“I don’t feel obliged to do it. It’s almost coincidental we are doing it.”

Whitmarsh concedes he had to question his own staff as to whether the right decision had been made to close following Sunday’s race after discovering virtually all of the remaining 11 teams are doing so a week later.

Whitmarsh added: “We’re out of pace with almost everyone else. I did ask a few (rivals) why they were doing that. I also asked our people ‘have we got it right?’

“Our rationale is it will take two or three days for the cars to return from Budapest, so that’s two or three days during the shutdown period where we’re not wasting time.”