Martin Richard Whitmarsh (born 29 April 1958) is a British businessman and Group CEO of the Aston Martin Performance Technologies team since 21 September 2021. Whitmarsh is best known to motorsport insiders, media and fans for his long and successful period at

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formula ...

, for which he worked for 25 years (1989-2014) in various senior positions including Group Chief Executive Officer and Formula One Team Principal for six years (2008-2014). Under his leadership

diversified its business activities beyond its core activity of

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

, launching

McLaren Automotive McLaren Automotive (formerly known as McLaren Cars) is a British luxury automotive manufacturer based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. The main products of the company are supercars, which are produced in-house in designated ...

and McLaren Applied Technologies. Whitmarsh played a senior and leading role in the winning of more than 100 Formula One Grands Prix and multiple

World Championships, and was at the centre of the development of several Formula One World Champions, including

Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes. In Formula One, Hamilton has won a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Mich ...

. Whitmarsh was also Chairman of the

Formula One Teams Association The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) was a group of Formula One teams that formed at a meeting in Maranello on 29 July 2008. The organisation was formed to give the teams a united voice in negotiations with the FIA and the Formula One Gro ...

for three years (2010-2012).

Motorsport

McLaren

Whitmarsh joined

McLaren Racing McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Form ...

in 1989 as an Operations Director having come from

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...

(BAE). In 1997 Whitmarsh was promoted to the position of Managing Director and in April 2004, he was again promoted, this time to the position of Chief Operating Officer of

McLaren Group The McLaren Group is a British holding company based in Woking, England, which is involved in Formula One and other motorsport and the manufacture of luxury cars. The group was founded by Ron Dennis shortly after his acquisition of the McLar ...

and Chief Executive Officer of

, On 1 March 2009

Ron Dennis Ronald Dennis CBE (born 1 June 1947) is a British businessman and Official British Business Ambassador for the United Kingdom. He is best known for his former role as owner, CEO, chairman and founder of McLaren Group. Dennis was removed from hi ...

stepped down as head of

to take a role in

and Whitmarsh became team principal as a result and a year later was appointed to two new roles: Chief Executive Officer of

and Deputy Chairman of

. Whitmarsh left his position as CEO of

and

in January 2014 and replaced by his predecessor

in January 2014. He formally parted ways with

in August 2014 after 25 years with the organisation.

Formula One Teams Association

In January 2009, Whitmarsh was elevated to president of the

(FOTA), replacing Ferrari Chairman and FOTA founder,

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (; born 31 August 1947) is an Italian businessman, former Chairman of Ferrari, and formerly Chairman of Fiat S.p.A. and President of Confindustria and FIEG. He comes from an aristocratic family from the region of Piedmo ...

. Whitmarsh maintain this position for four years until he stated that he would not stand for re-election in 2013

Formula E

In 2017 Whitmarsh joined the Global Advisory Board member of the

Formula E Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is a Open-wheel car, single-seater auto racing, motorsport championship for electric cars. The series was conceived in 2011 in Paris by Fédération Internationale de l'Automobil ...

, A series statement said the board's purpose would be "to steer the future direction of

as a key player in influencing the global uptake of electric vehicles and its impact on reducing emissions."

Aston Martin Performance Technologies

In October 2021 Whitmarsh was appointed as Group CEO of the newly created Aston Martin Performance Technologies. Whitmarsh is responsible for combining Aston Martin’s Formula One activities with developing, applying and taking to market the group’s technical capabilities, as well as intellectual property.

Other Roles

Land Rover BAR

In 2015 Whitmarsh became Chief Executive Officer of Ben Ainslie Racing (subsequently Land Rover BAR), the British

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

team. During Whitmarsh’s tenure, the business competed in the 35th America's Cup but was eliminated in the semi-final by

Emirates Team New Zealand Team New Zealand or TNZ is a sailing team based in Auckland, New Zealand representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Team New Zealand became a household name in their home country following their consecutive wins in the America's Cup ...

who ultimately won the World Series. In 2017 Whitmarsh stepped aside as CEO of Land Rover Bar to be replaced by

Grant Simmer Grant Simmer (born 1957) is an Australian sailor and yacht designer who has competed in multiple America's Cups. He sailed as navigator on ''Australia II'' when it won the 1983 America's Cup. He stayed with Alan Bond's syndicate and was navigat ...

, the four times America’s Cup winner, on the understanding that the team would need someone with a full time focus on the racing team. Whitmarsh continues as an advisor to the team.

BAR Technologies Limited

Whitmarsh is Chairman and co-founder of BAR Technologies. a technology start-up business focussed on the marine sector and bringing innovative solutions to enhance the efficiency of marine products and reduce carbon emissions.

Chair of Offshore Wind Growth Partnership Limited

Whitmarsh is Chair of Offshore Wind Growth Partnership limited, a company formed with the support of government and the industrial sector to promote and develop the UK supply chain seeking to achieve 60% UK content in home sector.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitmarsh, Martin 1958 births Living people Alumni of the University of Portsmouth Chief operating officers English chief executives Formula One team principals McLaren people