Formula 1
Red Bull staff being poached is a “natural development” – Marko
Helmut Marko plays down the recent departures of several key team members from Red Bull
Ben Vinel
Edited: Oct 5, 2024, 5:17 PM
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Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has downplayed the latest developments within the Milton Keynes-based squad, with key staff having been poached by rival teams.
In the last few months, chief technical officer Adrian Newey, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley and head of race strategy Will Courtenay have been signed by Aston Martin, Sauber/Audi and McLaren as managing technical partner, team principal and sporting director respectively.
Last year, chief engineering officer Rob Marshall also departed Red Bull to join McLaren, initially as technical director of engineering and design, shortly before taking on the chief designer role.
Following the Courtenay announcement last week, Jos Verstappen bitterly remarked about the brain exodus: “This is what I warned about… It's too many people now [leaving].”
Marko’s point of view very much differs from the Dutchman’s, as shown by his interview with Autosport's sister publication Formel1.de.
When asked whether the power struggle between team principal Christian Horner and himself might be to blame for the situation, Marko replied: “Well, I would say that it's a natural development, when you've been as successful as we have been, that people are poached.
“[Courtenay] had an offer that was significantly more attractive in terms of position and financially, and that was the case for most of the people mentioned.”
Hannah Schmitz, Principal Strategy Engineer at Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
The Austrian also clarified that principal strategy engineer Hannah Schmitz would be the one and only candidate to replace Courtenay as head of race strategy.
“We have to stand together and do everything we can to ensure that this world championship is won this year and that we also build successful cars for next year and the year after that, because that's the basis for being able to keep a Max Verstappen,” Marko insisted.
Verstappen’s future at the team is not guaranteed, with Mercedes having considered a move for the three-time world champion before promoting highly-rated junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli to a race seat for 2025. His signing to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton has led team principal Toto Wolff to acknowledge the team should stop flirting with Verstappen.
Meanwhile, strengthened by Newey’s arrival, Aston Martin is now openly courting the Dutch driver, who remains coy about this prospect.
Asked whether Newey could have solved Red Bull’s current predicament, Marko said: “That's an illusory rhetorical question. We have a diverse team, and they have to – and will – solve this.”
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Red Bull will however look forward to completing work on its new wind tunnel, with its current model in Bedford no longer up to date.
“A more modern wind tunnel would help,” Marko admitted. “Our wind tunnel is a post-war model that the British army built.
“We are no longer up to date – by a long way. And I hope that in 2026, our new wind tunnel will be up and running.”
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