McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has paid a glowing tribute to Hiroshi Imai as the long-serving engineer prepares to leave the F1 2024 Constructors’ Champions.

The Woking-based team enjoyed a highly successful F1 2024 season, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri winning a combined total of six races as McLaren lifted their first Constructors’ title since 1998.

McLaren pay tribute to respected engineer ahead of F1 2025 departure

Norris’s victory at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helped the team see off the threat of Ferrari, with McLaren winning the Championship by 14 points.

However, the end of the F1 2024 season sees long-serving Japanese engineer Imai depart the team after a stint of more than 15 years.

Imai joined McLaren from then-F1 tyre suppliers Bridgestone in May 2009 before being promoted to the role of chief race engineer in 2017 and director of race engineering in 2021.

A popular figure at McLaren with an expertise in tyres, Imai is expected to return to Japan rather than seek a role with a rival F1 team.

McLaren domination? How the F1 2024 title standings look without Max Verstappen and Red Bull

👉 The F1 2024 Drivers’ Championship standings without Max Verstappen

👉 Revealed: The F1 2024 Constructors’ Championship without Red Bull

Stella has paid tribute to Imai’s contribution to the McLaren team, describing the tyre boffin as one of his “closest collaborators” since his own arrival at the start of 2015.

He said: “Hiroshi has been at McLaren for a long time.He has been a fundamental contributor to what the team have achieved over the years.

“But for me, in particular, since I joined McLaren in 2015 Hiroshi has always been one of my closest collaborators in various positions, like chief race engineer, director of race engineering, and then director of tyres and brakes, more recently.

“And at the same time, always a key role in our operations trackside.

“He has contributed with great knowledge and expertise on tyres, on brakes, on operational standards. A person of great integrity, a person of calmness. Everyone appreciates his calmness, his great organisation.

“But at the same time it’s always been a point of reference for everyone in the team who needed some advice, who needed to have a wise opinion, and they have always known that could find it in Hiroshi.

“There’s one aspect of Hiroshi we all love, [it’s] that when it was the time to go racing, the Samurai inside Hiroshi would come out and he would become one of the tougher racers, but always incredibly respectful and with great style.

“We are all very thankful and grateful to Hiroshi for what he has given to McLaren.

“He will always be part of the family and I’m delighted that he has achieved the World Championship in his final year at McLaren, because he will always say that he has been World Champion for the rest of his of his life.

“We wish Hiroshi all the best, and I’m sure we will have more opportunities to see him around in the future.”

McLaren pulled off a major coup in September when the team announced the signing of Red Bull strategy chief Will Courtenay as their new sporting director.

Courtenay is expected to start work at Woking in mid-2026 at the latest after a successful 14-year stint with Red Bull.

The appointment of Courtenay came after Rob Marshall, widely regarded as a key figure behind Red Bull’s recent dominance, joined McLaren ahead of the F1 2024 season.

Read next: Revealed: What F1 temperature data says about Mercedes and McLaren