Fiery crash rules Ericsson out of French GP FP2
🀅McLaren Formula 1 racing director Eric Boullier has hit back at a report the team rewarded staff with Freddo chocolate bars, and defended his position as part of its management setup amid growing pressure.
quoted sources within McLaren claiming they ha🐷d been rewarded with Freddo chocolate bars, with the atmosphere within the team being allegedly desc💧ribed as "toxic".
Following three difficult years workin🅠g with Honda, McLaren had hoped a switch to Renault engines for 2018 would result in an upturn in on-track fortu🙈nes. While it has risen to fifth in the constructors' championship, it remains more than one second per lap off the pace of fellow Renault customer team Red Bull, leading to questions about Boullier's future.
Asked directly about the Daily Mail r♑eport, and whether the team would be looking to discipline those who spoke out, Boullier said the matter would b♉e dealt with internally.
"This is obvi🔯ously an internal matter. We need to discuss, we need to see internally what is going on, why these indi♚viduals are unhappy," Boullier said.
"We have 800 people. We have a lot of support from the work force and the engꦇineering. I think it was just a matter of a couple of people were grumpy. In some ways it’s maybe good for us, because we have a lot of feedback and good feedback.
Boullier stressed he would not be resigning fr𒐪om his position at McLaren, defending his track record through his moto✅rsport career.
"No, I will not resign," Boullier said. "I’m at my 20th year now in racing. I’ve won races and/or championships with ev𒉰ery team I’ve managed before, including Formula 1. This is a record you cannot take away from me.
"I think there have been a couple of stories about some chocolate-gate in the media today which were a bit funny to read. It was actually good because we had tons of emails from people saying this is a joke. It’s maybe a couple of people grumpy, which in any or🐼ganisation, you have some people who agree or disagree when there have been miscommunications.
"I don’t know what the problems are of these people. I think we have invited them to come and see us to understand the prob🥀lems, and we are talking through the backdo💖or."
It was🌠 finally put to Boullier that his own staff were briefing against him, ꦫto which he replied: "I think you’re lying now."
