McLaren F1 confirms Seidl start date

McLaren has confirmed recently-appointed managing director Andreas Seidl will join its Formula 1 operation on May 1.

Ex-Porsche LMP1 chief Seidl was confirmed to be joining McLaren in early January, having left Porsche a couple of months earlier in a sudden exit.

Seidl was named as McLaren's new F1 managing director to oversee all operations of its race team and reporting to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.

In a short statement issued by the team on Tuesday, it was confirmed Seidl would be starting work on May 1, with his first race set to be the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on May 12.

"We're delighted that Andreas is able to join the team on 1 May. This enables us to continue the momentum of our recovery plan and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to McLaren," said Brown.

Seidl will bolster McLaren's F1 management ranks following the departures of racing director Eric Boullier, chassis chief Tim Goss and engineering director Matt Morris through the 2018 season.

McLaren will also bring former Toro Rosso technical director James Key on board in 2019, but his exact start date is yet to have been confirmed.