Is Jonathan Wheatley set to leave Red Bull soon?

Jonathan Wheatley is reportedly contemplating a move away from Red Bull, eyeing more senior roles within the Formula 1 hierarchy.

The CEO of McLaren F1 warned Red Bull in Miami on Friday about a potential exodus following Adrian Newey’s departure, and he stated this because he has evidence with a number of resumes from Red Bull members landing in HR at Woking.

But did he receive one from Jonathan Wheatley?

The Red Bull sporting director is indeed considering his future elsewhere if possible. Wheatley, the man who made Red Bull the fastest team in pit stops (among other things), could become the latest key staff member to leave.

According to The Times, Wheatley has long-term ambitions to become a team director and has sounded out other teams on the grid. Red Bull has been contacted for comment but has not responded yet.

At the height of the saga surrounding Christian Horner in March, Wheatley was even considered to replace his boss, but the Thai shareholders intervened and prevented the Austrians from firing Horner, the strongest symbol of the current power struggle at Red Bull.

According to The Times, it is understood that Wheatley has not resigned or threatened to do so. He is currently at the end of his contract with Red Bull and might still remain with the team if he does not find the director position he desires. According to some sources, he is in discussions with Alpine F1 to take the position currently held (by default) by Bruno Famin.

Other key figures, including Pierre Wache, the technical director, Enrico Balbo, the head of aerodynamics, and Ben Waterhouse, the head of performance engineering, have signed long-term agreements in recent months.