Lola Cars has announced Peter McCool as its new technical director.
As well as being part of Lola in its previous guise between 2009 and ’12, McCool’s extensive résumé includes holding senior design and engineering positions at McLaren and Super Aguri in Formula 1, as well as at Mercedes’ Formula E team which secured back-to-back drivers’ and constructors’ title doubles in 2020-21 and 2021-22. And he will be a key part of the Lola operation as it returns to motorsport in the all-electric series in partnership with Yamaha and Abt.
“I’m delighted to be joining the Lola Cars team as technical director and am looking forward to leading a team of extremely talented engineers, designers and mechanics,” said McCool. “Together we will maximize the potential of this iconic British constructor as we return to the top tier of motor racing, while also developing cutting-edge technologies that will re-establish Lola as a leader in sustainable engineering and motorsport.”
McCool’s predecessor in the technical director role, Mark Tatham, has led the development of Lola’s GEN3 Evo powertrain so far, and will remain part of the company as a technical consultant.
“We’re hugely excited to welcome Peter to the team as our new technical director,” said Lola Cars chairman, Till Bechtolsheimer. “Peter’s pedigree and expertise speaks for itself, and his familiarity with the Lola team will undoubtedly stand him in good stead to spearhead the technical development across our ongoing and future motorsport projects.
“Beyond his motorsport credentials, Peter’s experience in applied technologies provides a valuable synergy with our overarching business aims, as we continue to expand our technology and capabilities.
“I also want to express my appreciation for Mark’s dedication to Lola over the past two years. He has been essential in re-establishing our technical capabilities and has done a remarkable job. I am thrilled that Mark will remain an integral part of Lola going forward as our technical consultant.”
Lola’s return to motorsport via Formula E will commence in earnest on Nov. 4-7 when pre-season takes place at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. The season itself begins on Dec. 7 in São Paulo, Brazil. The Abt Lola team has already retained longtime Abt driver Lucas di Grassi for the upcoming season, with its second driver set to be announced soon.