F1: Capito set to leave McLaren after 4 months

McLaren Racing chief executive officer Jost Capito is set to leave the team after just four months in the job, according to multiple reports.

The former Volkswagen motorsport director's move to McLaren was announced in January of this year, but he did not start work with the team until after the mid-season break, appearing at the Belgian Grand Prix in late August before officially starting in his new role on September 1. Capito was present at a number of races, but a number of reports claim he is now poised to leave the team as part of the ongoing changes to team management.

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Capito was originally hired by Ron Dennis, but the former McLaren chairman and chief executive lost control of the company in November and was placed on leave until his contract expires in January. Since then, American businessman Zak Brown has been brought in as executive director, with the company currently being run by executive committee.

The BBC reports Capito "is still an employee but is no longer working day-to-day for the company."

Capito was brought in to oversee the racing arm of McLaren, following a successful spell in charge of Volkswagen's motorsports operation. As director of motorsport, Capito oversaw a recent dominance of the World Rally Championship as Volkswagen won the past four drivers' and constructors' championships with Sebastien Ogier.

Management restructuring is ongoing at McLaren, with Brown set to work alongside Jonathan Neale, while racing director Eric Boullier will report to both men. The McLaren Group is still on the lookout for a new chairman and chief executive officer to replace Dennis, who was ousted after falling out with fellow shareholders Mansour Ojjeh and the Bahrain investment fund Mumtalakat.

McLaren finished sixth in the constructors' championship this year but suffered a disappointing end to the season, scoring just two points from the final three races.