The long-time McLaren worker was take a look at driver for the F1 workforce when the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Juan-Pablo Montoya raced for the Woking workforce.

A promising teenager, Paffett took half in a younger driver take a look at for McLaren in 2000, earlier than changing into totally affiliated with the workforce in 2005 as a take a look at driver. Nonetheless, he missed out on full-time F1 drives within the late-2000s.

A two-time DTM champion, the Briton’s repute for automobile growth meant he was steadily referred to as upon as take a look at driver, driving a number of McLarens and even testing for Williams in Bahrain in 2017.

He had one season as Stoffel Vandoorne’s teammate at HWA Racelab (Mercedes) in System E earlier than stepping out of the race seat.

Initially taking advisory roles with the Mercedes-EQ FE workforce, he would later grow to be the Group Supervisor of their championship-winning workforce, a job he stored as Mercedes transitioned into McLaren for the present System E season.

“It’s nice to have the duty of Sporting Director of the NEOM McLaren Excessive E Group and I’m actually excited to work with the group of close-knit those that we’ve within the workforce, together with [drivers] Emma [Gilmour] and Tanner [Foust], who confirmed nice progress and robust performances final season,” commented Paffett.

“McLaren Racing entered Excessive E in 2022 and the workforce has been profitable to this point, with some improbable outcomes in the direction of the top of the yr, culminating in a podium end on the last race in Uruguay.

“The goal for the workforce is to proceed that development to maneuver in the direction of the entrance of the sector. It’s a really aggressive championship with some actually improbable groups and drivers concerned, so will probably be extraordinarily robust competitors. I’m trying ahead to the beginning of the season in NEOM, Saudi Arabia.”

In McLaren’s first Excessive E season they completed P5 within the Groups’ Championship (out of ten groups), with a greatest results of P2 on the season finale in Uruguay.