French Director Waché Downplays Glory, Focuses on Team

Red Bull faces key staff shifts, emphasizing collective effort over individual acclaim.

Red Bull has been confronting a series of significant personnel changes in recent months, particularly within its technical department.

Notably, the departure garnering the most attention is that of Adrian Newey. While the designer remains with Red Bull Technology to complete the RB17 road car project, he has ceased involvement in Formula 1 following the announcement of his departure, set to be official on March 31.

For Pierre Waché, the technical director of Red Bull Racing who spoke to Planet F1, “it’s a challenge for the company and it’s unfortunate that he’s leaving.”

“However, at some point, we move forward together… as a team of engineers, what you see from the outside is one aspect but, on our side, we already know that when people leave the team, we have already organised ourselves with our team.”

“We would prefer he was with us, but that’s not the case. We don’t think in that way, we try to see what you can do by yourself and how you can improve. If we see weaknesses, we try to improve and that’s how we work – we focus on what we can do better.”

Newey has often been the man cited behind the successes of Red Bull Racing, seldom Waché. Isn’t that frustrating?

“No, not at all. The frustration is not winning. It doesn’t bother me that the media say something is due to someone – what’s important is that we know every individual in the team contributes to the system. Otherwise, it would be a one-person team, but that’s not the case – we have over 300 engineers in the system to develop and make our car faster.”

“Adrian played a significant role in all this, but as with any individual, I think it’s important for each of them to do their best. With the media, I’m not working specifically to become a star or anything, I work because I love what I do. I want to succeed and win, that’s the main thing.”

Waché is now acknowledged as the mastermind in charge of the technical side. The opportunity to start creating his own legacy in F1 design?

“You don’t choose it that way—you do it because you think you can change the way we work in the manner you like. And in the way you think it’s more efficient and more interesting for the team for future success. You don’t do it for your personal glory—we have a job. The company has changed somewhat but Formula 1, especially on the engineering side, is a competition of engineers.”

“The goal isn’t to be on the front page. The goal is to build the fastest car and I think that’s what most people in the industry, in engineering, want. If I just wanted the job to be famous, I wouldn’t be the right person for the job.”

“You have to recognize that you do this job because you’re paid for it, and I don’t own the work!”

The Frenchman does acknowledge, however, that things have changed with the departures that have occurred.

“Of course, but it’s nothing new. Previously, we had Peter Prodromou, who left after 2014. Mark Ellis left after 2013. It’s the nature of the team and the leaders who have left—they were leaders in their field. But it’s a natural aspect of every organization. Of course, Adrian was a significant figure in the system. But you know, at some point, we give a chance to young and brilliant talents to take on this challenge, as I have now.”

“People like Enrico [Balbo, head of aerodynamics], Ben Waterhouse [director of performance engineering], Craig [Skinner, chief designer], Paul [Monaghan, chief engineer], it’s good for the people and for the team.”

Regarding the importance of being able to promote internally, Waché stated that it provides tremendous motivation for engineers and designers climbing the ranks within Milton Keynes.

“It’s a tremendous advantage because we see that hard work pays off. The team is an organisation that functions—not by individuals, but as a group and by how we work together. If each individual works in isolation, nothing works. If you want to send a rocket to the moon, one man can’t do it alone—it requires people doing things, and it’s the same with the car.”

“What’s interesting in this job is that you can face various technical problems and try to solve them. But the higher you climb in the system, the further you move away from the details of the problem. As an engineer, you move away from what you love. You try to provide advice and guidance on the direction the team should take, but what I love is getting into the details.”

Waché concludes on why he still cherishes the Red Bull Racing team so much. But why?

“Personally, because it’s a team—not a company.”

“We are not a company, and we allow people the freedom to develop and act as they wish. This is not the case in all companies and teams. What Adrian and Christian have developed as a team remains a racing team. We still have the racing aspect and we take risks—Red Bull, as a parent company, has tremendous trust in the system and never pressures us negatively. We win and lose together—I think that’s something you don’t find anywhere else.”