Getting to know: Eric Boullier

Even as a schoolboy, Eric Boullier was fascinated by racing cars, with pictures of his childhood hero Ayrton Senna adorning the walls of his family home in Laval, Mayenne, France, where he was born on November 9, 1973.

After graduating as an aeronautical and spacecraft engineer from the French Institut Polytechnique des Sciences Appliquees in Ivry-sur-Seine, he was quickly drawn to the racetrack, working in the World Series by Nissan and A1 Grand Prix. His managerial skills saw him graduate to a role overseeing the careers of several promising young racing drivers.

In early 2003, he moved to the French DAMS team to become the managing and technical director, including the A1 Team France operation. At the end of 2008, Boullier became the CEO of Gravity Sport Management, where he was in charge of many young drivers including Ho-Pin Tung, Adrien Tambay, Jérôme d'Ambrosio and Christian Vietoris.

Becoming team principal at Lotus F1 in 2010, he oversaw a period of growth and redevelopment that led to the hiring of 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, and the re-emergence of the team as one of grand prix racing’s top contenders. That same year, he was elected vice chairman of Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) until its disbandment in 2013. 

On January 24, 2014, Boullier resigned as Team Principal for Lotus F1 Team Limited.

Eric Boullier became McLaren’s Racing Director of the McLaren Formula One racing team in a structural re-organisation at the start of the 2014 season.

COURTESY OF MCLAREN