Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley is reportedly reflecting on his long career with the team after McLaren boss Zak Brown predicted Adrian Newey’s resignation would trigger a wave of departures from the reigning constructors’ champions.
Newey unsettled the racing environment at Red Bull and will leave the team, after nearly two decades, in the first quarter of next year. And the esteemed technical director isn’t the only high-profile figure looking ahead to a new challenge.
According to The Times, Wheatley has “long-term ambitions” as team principal and the 56-year-old has already looked at roles elsewhere on the grid.
While Newey is credited with overseeing the design of Red Bull’s dominant F1 cars over the past three seasons, as well as in subsequent years; Wheatley earned plaudits for turning him into a powerhouse at pit stops.
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Red Bull has set pit prevention time in recent years, winning the DHL award for fastest pit stop in 2023 for the sixth time in a row. Wheatley is reportedly in contract talks with Red Bull, but will most likely take a look at other features to explore. your team’s main ambitions.
Technical director Pierre Wache, head of aerodynamics Enrico Balbo and head of functional engineering Ben Waterhouse signed long-term deals within months, relieving pressure on Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
But McLaren Racing chief executive Brown turned the knife on the weekend of the Miami Grand Prix by suggesting he was receiving homework schedules from Red Bull team members, amid rumours of a power struggle at the top.
He said: “I think what’s going on there is a little disturbing; probably [Newey is] the first domino to fall. I guess it’s not the last, according to the CVs that circulate. We have noticed an accumulation of the number of resumes coming from the team.
A Red Bull spokesperson responded: “Over the past few months, our entire technical control team has signed long-term contracts with Oracle Red Bull Racing. So we’re not sure what resume Zak is referring to, but we don’t foresee any. “significant loss and, in fact, not the domino effect Zak was hoping for. “
As has been the case for most of this season, reigning world champion Max Verstappen didn’t let off-track dramatize his on-track performance, as he won the Miami Sprint Grand Prix on Saturday before qualifying on pole for Sunday’s big event.
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