Ralf Schumacher believes Red Bull’s internal struggles stem not only from Horner, but also technical director Pierre Waché’s shortcomings.
Ralf Schumacher believes the exodus of senior staff at Red Bull is not entirely linked to team principal Christian Horner.
Tensions arose within Red Bull at the start of the season after Horner was accused of inappropriate behavior by an employee, an allegation he has always strongly denied.
During the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekends, a power struggle emerged within the team, with Horner on one side, backed by the major Thai shareholders, and Austrians Helmut Marko and Oliver Mintzlaff, supported by Jos Verstappen, on the other.
A truce was reached, but throughout the year, Red Bull lost its technical director, sporting director, and strategy director—Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, and Will Courtenay—to Aston Martin, Stake/Audi F1, and McLaren, respectively.
However, Schumacher, a former F1 driver and now a German TV pundit, does not believe the departures are solely linked to Horner.
“I think when people have worked together successfully for so long, they want to advance their own positions.”
“But there’s no room for that in the current environment. If they get attractive financial offers from outside, they start looking for something new.”
“So, I wouldn’t attribute this solely to Horner.”
There is also a sense of a harmful divide between Austria and Thailand, the two factions leading Red Bull.
“The former Red Bull owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, used to pull these strings and made it clear from the top down how things were going to go.”
“That leadership is definitely missing today. I think the team feels that absence, and Horner feels it too.”
“Horner is someone with incredible experience, and he’s doing an excellent job, but when you look at last year, maybe he was a bit overestimated when left to handle all this chaos alone.”
So, what is the most pressing issue to address according to him? Ralf points to the current technical director, Frenchman Pierre Waché.
“The team is suffering from the departure or the intentions of some of its members. It’s not easy to replace people like that. I have the feeling, and this feeling may not be correct, that Pierre Waché is not yet up to the task.”
“He is certainly a brilliant thinker, but he doesn’t have the flair that Newey had. He seems to lack the ability to bridge the gap between the driver and an optimal car.”
“However, I truly hope Red Bull will succeed, but I can’t quite see it happening just yet.”
“I have the feeling it will be a difficult period, especially if Max Verstappen were to really leave, as we saw him make the difference on his own in the last race [in Singapore].”
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Red Bull Exodus: Schumacher Blames Waché – Not Just Horner Red Bull Exodus: Schumacher Blames Waché – Not Just Horner
