Boullier will start work at McLaren on Monday but his title will be racing director, not team principal; that position is currently held by Martin Whitmarsh, though confirmation of his pay-off will be made soon following a frustrating five years for the Woking-based factory.That means there is still a vacancy for the job of actually running McLaren Racing and a new position, chief executive officer of McLaren Racing, is yet to be made, giving fresh impetus to the old rumour that Ross Brawn, who left Mercedes at the end of last year, will be handed the job. Boullier will be in charge of the team on a day-to-day basis, and will be the leader on the pitwall for races. The new appointment, who will not necessarily attend all races, will have a wider brief, including the development of the car.A statement from McLaren on Wednesday read: "McLaren Racing is pleased to announce that Eric Boullier has been appointed to the position of Racing Director, effective Monday February 3rd."Eric is one of the most capable trackside leaders in Formula 1. He has played the central role in Lotus F1 Team's recent successes, and brings with him extensive single-seater motorsport experience, having worked in senior positions in World Series by Nissan and A1 Grand Prix before moving up to Formula 1."Working with Jonathan Neale (Chief Operating Officer) and his senior management colleagues within McLaren Racing, Eric will ultimately report to the Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Racing, an all-new position, whose yet-to-be-appointed occupant will in turn report directly to Ron Dennis (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Group)."Until such time as a Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Racing has been appointed, Jonathan Neale will be acting in that role."Boullier said: "First of all, I regard this appointment as an honour, a privilege and a wonderful opportunity."The McLaren Racing workforce and the facilities at the McLaren Technology Centre are world-class, and I'm hugely excited about the prospect of joining such an outstanding team."I'm both eager and determined to play an active part, working alongside McLaren Racing's other senior managers and directors, within a new operational structure, to bring about the changes that will deliver success."Last, I want to take this opportunity to assure the McLaren Racing workforce that I'm utterly determined to match their famous passion and commitment to win."Ron Dennis said: "Eric's appointment is an integral part of a senior management restructure within McLaren Racing."I've already personally conveyed to the entire workforce of the McLaren Group, which includes McLaren Racing, the values, principles and mindset that I intend us all to adopt, going forward. My intention is that from now on everyone at McLaren Racing will understand their responsibilities and accountabilities, focusing on their specific areas of expertise, in keeping with those values, principles and mindset."In due course we'll announce the identity of McLaren Racing's new chief executive officer, who'll report to me, and to whom Eric will report."I'm firmly of the belief that, once McLaren Racing's restructured senior management team has been assembled, together we'll begin the march back to full competitiveness, quickly and professionally, harnessing the fantastic depth of talent that exists within our organisation."Last year McLaren, one of the biggest names in Formula One, suffered their worst season since 1980. They failed to win a single podium position and were beaten into fifth place in the constructors' championship by Lotus.They also made a poor start to the new season on Tuesday, when they were unable to start their new MP4-29 on the opening day of testing in Jerez. They made a better start to the second day, when Jenson Button was the first driver to take to the track.McLaren had described the situation on Tuesday as "a challenging start", and that like other teams they had "faced difficulties" readying the MP4-29 for the first of the three winter tests.The team had blamed "electrical issues" for the lack of running which required the dismantling, inspection and reinstallation of several major components.Given the complexities of the new powertrain units (turbocharged 1.6-litre V6s have replaced the 2.4-litre V8s) and the new-for-2014 ERS (energy recovery system), all the teams have faced headaches in the build process, hampered by the lack of time.But on a chilly, damp second day on Wednesday, the McLaren completed an installation lap early on, followed by a further two tours of the southern Spanish track just under 90 minutes into the session.On track, after two hours, Button was one of six drivers to have taken to the circuit.The Briton was joined by Williams's Valtteri Bottas, the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, Force India's Sergio Pérez, the Sauber of Esteban Gutiérrez and Red Bull's reigning champion Sebastian Vettel.Vettel, who completed only three laps on Tuesday due to technical issues with the RB10 and with the first of those not until 15 minutes from the end of play, had at least matched that figure by 11am local time.Mercedes, meanwhile, were hoping to return to the track later in the day, with Nico Rosberg at the wheel, after making repairs to the W05 that Lewis Hamiton crashed on Tuesday due to the failure of the front wing.As for Marussia, with their car due to arrive on Wednesday afternoon after its own technical issues at their factory in Banbury, they were appearing more likely to make their season debut on Thursday.(theguardian.com)ANN.Az