"I think Formula 1 has been a little bit arrogant in the past"

Eleventh title at Aston Martin

The 63-year-old Whitmarsh has an impressive career in Formula 1. The Briton worked at McLaren from 1989 to 2014, winning six drivers' and four constructors' titles. Whitmarsh joined McLaren as Head of Operations and was promoted to Managing Director in 1997. In 2009, he took over Ron Dennis' role as the big boss of McLaren Racing. However, in 2014, he was forced out of the job at McLaren.

Lawrence Stroll brought Whitmarsh back to Formula One and ambitions are high. Whitmarsh wants to win his eleventh Formula One title at Aston Martin. "Honestly, that's why I'm here, " he said in an interview with Reuters. He wants to do everything he can to see Aston Martin on the top step of the podium.

Much influence of Whitmarsh on the team

Aston Martin's goal is to be able to compete for the title within five years and Whitmarsh is a key link in achieving that goal. Officially, he heads up the overarching Aston Martin Performance Technologies, but the Whitmarsh will put a lot of time and energy into the Formula One team and thus have a lot of influence on whether or not the team succeeds in the coming years.

The arrogance of Formula One

Much has changed since Whitmarsh left Formula 1 in 2014. Whitmarsh says he is happy with those changes, including the greater focus on diversity and inclusion, the ambition to achieve net CO2 neutral status by 2030 and the cost cap. According to him, Formula 1 was previously too inward-looking.

"I think Formula 1 has been a bit arrogant in the past," Whitmarsh believes. "What it has really taught is that we have to be relevant to society, to the needs of society, otherwise you just don't make that connection." Drive to Survive is also a good development, according to Whitmarsh.