Peter Prodromou is a British aerodynamicist of Greek-Cypriot heritage and McLaren's Technical Director, Aerodynamics, a role he has held since March 2023. He is regarded as one of the architects of McLaren's return to championship form. ¹²

He was born on 14 January 1969 in London, England, and earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London. ¹²

“In 2006 he left McLaren alongside design chief Adrian Newey to join Red Bull Racing as Head of Aerodynamics.”

First McLaren spell

Prodromou joined McLaren's design office in 1991 and, over roughly fifteen years, rose to become the team's chief aerodynamicist and Adrian Newey's deputy. ²

Red Bull Racing

In 2006 he left McLaren alongside design chief Adrian Newey to join Red Bull Racing as Head of Aerodynamics. As a leading lieutenant of Newey's design group, he was a central figure in the aerodynamic development behind Red Bull's run of Constructors' and Drivers' titles from 2010 to 2013. ¹³

Return to McLaren

Prodromou returned to McLaren in late 2014 as Chief Engineer following a contractual dispute and a period of gardening leave with Red Bull. He took on increasing technical seniority over the following years before, in March 2023, being appointed Technical Director, Aerodynamics as part of Andrea Stella's restructure into a three-person technical executive team. The change refocused him on hands-on aero design rather than management, overseeing McLaren's entire aerodynamics function and reporting to Stella. ¹³

Contract extension

In February 2025, after McLaren won the 2024 Constructors' Championship, the team announced a multi-year extension of Prodromou's contract. Stella called him "invaluable" and "a key architect of the team's performance turnaround," describing him as one of the finest aerodynamicists in Formula 1, with over 30 years of experience. ²⁴

Recent cars

Prodromou's aero group set the conceptual direction for the championship-winning MCL38 and MCL39, the latter praised for an aerodynamic philosophy prioritising consistency and being competitive at every kind of circuit. McLaren went on to clinch the 2025 Constructors' title in Singapore, sealing back-to-back championships, with Prodromou named among the leadership group, alongside Marshall, Houldey and Temple, credited with the turnaround. ³⁵

Reputation

Prodromou's career is closely tied to Adrian Newey, whom he served as deputy at McLaren and followed to Red Bull, and he is regarded as one of the sport's leading aerodynamicists in his own right rather than simply a Newey lieutenant. The 2023 restructure was credited with finally maximising his talent, freeing him from broader management to concentrate on the conceptual aero direction that underpinned McLaren's title cars, and Stella has singled him out for setting that direction and organising the entire aerodynamic group. ²³

Bottom line

Prodromou is a long-serving aerodynamics specialist whose career bookends two of McLaren's strongest eras and includes the heart of Red Bull's first dynasty. As McLaren's aero technical director he is one of the senior figures responsible for the team's recent championship-winning machinery. ¹²