Red Bull will feel they’re in a position to survive the hit of losing Adrian Newey. The world champions confirmed ahead of the Miami Grand Prix that Newey was leaving in early 2025.
Christian Horner has already attempted to subtly play down the influence Newey has had on the team’s recent success. The designer himself disagrees with that assessment, and David Croft isn’t convinced either.
But technical director Pierre Wache is poised to take on an even more prominent role post-Newey. And Max Verstappen has a great deal of confidence in the Frenchman.
What’s more, some Red Bull employees were actually ‘quite pleased’ to see Newey go amid a personality clash behind the scenes. They may relish the opportunity to operate outside of his shadow.
Only time will tell how much the Bulls suffer on track without the guidance of the 65-year-old. But perhaps the biggest short-term issue is the possibility that he may have triggered an exodus.
Journalist Andrew Benson has already reported that Newey’s exit has increased doubts among some senior members of the team. And Mercedes boss Toto Wolff agrees with McLaren counterpart Zak Brown that there has been a noticeable increase in applications from Red Bull employees lately.
Marc Priestley says Red Bull exodus could continue after Adrian Newey
According to Autosport, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley wants to become a team principal elsewhere and has held initial talks with other teams. And speaking on his YouTube channel, Marc Priestley says he may not be the only big name who follows Newey out the door.
Priestley, who previously worked as a mechanic at McLaren and now features as a pundit for BBC Radio 5 Live, says sporting success isn’t enough for many at Milton Keynes right now. What really matters is being ‘happy in your work environment’.
“I happen to know that [Jonathan Wheatley] is not the only one considering seriously an exit from the team,” he said. “It’s not really about winning races and winning championships anymore.
” Yes, the championship is almost certainly going to go Red Bull’s way this year. They will win more races. And next year, they’ll be in a great position to do more of that.
“But for most of those people, they’ve now got so many of those accolades, so many ticks on the sheet…
He added: “If you’re not happy in your work environment, and if that is genuinely the case at Red Bull, it will be no surprise to see more people, particularly at the higher end, start to think and consider other options that are on the grid.”
Who is Jonathan Wheatley?
Much like Adrian Newey, Wheatley has been with Red Bull since 2006. The former mechanic has overseen a period of success that has featured seven drivers’ titles and six constructors’ championships.
Red Bull also credit Wheatley for establishing them as the standard-setters when it comes to pit stops. They became the first F1 team to complete a tyre change in less than two seconds and routinely out-class the field.
Given that he’s been embedded in the team for so long, he would leave a significant void. Horner, though, surely wouldn’t begrudge the opportunity to take on a more prominent role elsewhere.
In recent years, we’ve seen James Vowles leave his post as a strategist at Mercedes to take over at Williams, while Laurent Mekies upgraded his deputy team principal gig at Ferrari to the role of team boss at RB. Wheatley could be the next to take the jump.
The post ‘I happen to know’: BBC F1 pundit shares what he’s hearing about further Red Bull exits after Adrian Newey appeared first on F1 Oversteer.