Eric Boullier has quit the Lotus F1 Team and looks set to join McLaren.

In a surprising development Frenchman Boullier has severed ties with the Enstone based team just months after announcing that its future looked steady and promising. Boullier becomes the latest in a long list of exits from the Lotus team. The team has lost several key members over the last several months including Kimi Raikkonen, James Allison, Dirk De Beer and several key behind-the-scenes figures.

The team principal role at Lotus is now expected to be filled by team owner, Gerard Lopez. “We thank Eric for all his hard work over the past four years and we are confident we can continue to fight as one of the top teams in Formula 1 over the seasons ahead,” Lopez told AUTOSPORT.

Next on the Boullier agenda seems to be a move to McLaren. The Frenchman is touted to take over the team principal role from Martin Whitmarsh amidst the return of Ron Dennis’ return as group CEO. McLaren are expected to launch their 2014 challenger in a matter of hours.