Red Bull Faces Challenges as Key Figures Depart

Is Red Bull’s era of dominance ending with recent strategic exits?

Is the future of the Red Bull team growing dimmer with each announcement? Observers of Formula 1 seem to suggest so, as the team faces a crucial departure with Jonathan Wheatley, its sporting director.

Following Rob Marshall’s move to McLaren F1 last year and Adrian Newey’s departure earlier this year, Wheatley becomes the third pivotal figure to leave Red Bull, which is entering a new era in 2026 with the introduction of Red Bull Powertrains Ford engines.

As this new regulatory era begins, Red Bull will no longer have some of the key figures who contributed to its success in the early 2010s with Sebastian Vettel and the early 2020s with Max Verstappen.

Wheatley will become the team principal of Audi F1 starting in late 2025 or 2026, with Red Bull revealing the news before his new employers could announce his recruitment.

This isn’t the first time this year that Red Bull has preempted an announcement about an outgoing employee. The news about Newey came during the weekend commemorating the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death, a time when it was reported that Newey did not want to make any announcements.

Roger Benoit, a journalist at Blick, revealed that Christian Horner had already confirmed to him at Spa that Wheatley wanted to leave. “I know Jonathan wants to leave. He’s expensive, and I can hire several engineers for his salary,” Horner reportedly told the Swiss reporter.

Wheatley nearly took over the reins at Red Bull when the Horner affair threatened the current director’s position, who seems to be staying on long-term. According to Auto Motor und Sport, Wheatley’s departure is a sign that “Red Bull is collapsing.”

It’s hard to imagine that Red Bull, which has been at the top of F1 for 15 years, will actually become a backmarker team within the next three years, but it is clear that the team faces challenges it has never encountered before.

Having to produce its own V6 turbo is one challenge, and Red Bull is set to learn this craft. The arrival of Ford, a manufacturer less experienced in electric competition than its rivals, is another challenge for Red Bull.

The team must now announce a new technical and operational structure and thus promote or recruit executives to manage various departments. This phase will be interesting, as it will form the foundation that allows Red Bull to bounce back after this delicate period.