Former Lamborghini motorsport boss Giorgio Sanna is taking up the same role at McLaren Automotive to run its GT programmes.
The 50-year-old Italian is moving into the position of McLaren Automotive head of motorsport formerly filled by Ian James, who was named as the new team principal of the Jaguar Formula E team in July.
Sanna joins McLaren after masterminding Lamborghini’s programmes with the Huracan GT3 and its Super Trofeo one-make race as the first boss of the marque’s in-house Squadra Corse competition department between 2015 and 2024.
He will oversee McLaren’s racing activities with the 720S GT3 EVO and the Artura GT4, as well as its one-make McLaren Trophy with the Artura. Sanna will report to Jonathan Simms, director of McLaren Special Operations and motorsport.
“Giorgio Sanna’s appointment as our new head of motorsport further strengthens a division of McLaren Automotive that is integral to our brand DNA,” said Simms.
“Maintaining a strong and enduring connection to our racing heritage firmly aligns us with our most passionate and committed clients, and securing a recognised leader in the GT racing arena to lead McLaren motorsport signals our determination to drive growth in this area.”
Sanna was also the architect of Lamborghini’s SC63 LMDh project, which is now on hold.
He was a successful GT and touring car driver who started out with Lamborghini as a test driver for its road car research and development division in 2001.
It was announced in March 2024 that Sanna had left the company with immediate effect in a short statement that gave no reasons for his departure.
James took over as McLaren Automotive motorsport boss in November last year, dovetailing the role with his position as team principal of McLaren’s Formula E team.
He is switching to Jaguar following McLaren’s withdrawal from FE to replace James Barclay, who is now team principal of McLaren’s LMDh programme.
The entry into the World Endurance Championship with the LMDh co-developed by Dallara Automobili is a project run by McLaren Racing, which encompasses the brand’s Formula 1 and IndyCar operations.
McLaren Automotive has been owned since April this year by the CYVN Holdings investment arm of the Abu Dhabi government, which also took a minority stake in McLaren Racing.
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