The Formula One world champions will utilize the departures of veterans Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley to freshen up their managerial structure.
Red Bull will promote from within its Formula One team to replace outgoing sports director Jonathan Wheatley.
Wheatley will quit Red Bull at the end of the current season after an 18-year tenure with the Formula One world champions.Following a restructuring of the Audi F1 team’s management structure, the 57-year-old will take over as principal.
The German automaker acquired Swiss-based Sauber with the intention of creating its own vehicle and engine for the 2026 season, but has struggled to make meaningful headway and has lost out on signing its major driver target, Carlos Sainz to Williams.
Autosport believes that Audi’s new chief operational and technical officer, Mattia Binotto, the former Ferrari team manager, had no involvement in Wheatley’s hiring.
According to sources, Red Bull will aim to replace Wheatley from within the business, allowing the team to refresh their management structure.
While Christian Horner will remain in charge, Wheatley and Adrian Newey’s subsequent exits will compel Red Bull to reorganise its structure and pit wall.
This could result in the reintroduction of the team management role rather than Wheatley’s title of sports director.
This would be extremely beneficial as Red Bull attempts to reduce costs in order to comply with F1’s cost cap.
While Wheatley and Newey’s resignation will fuel rumors that Red Bull is in turmoil, another school of thought holds that the team is evolving, with older staff making way.
Designer Pierre Wache was offered fresh terms just days before Newey’s departure was announced, and it is likely that a new candidate has been discovered for Wheatley’s position.
Wheatley’s desire to be a team boss was well known in the paddock.
He was linked to Horner’s employment at the beginning of the year, when the latter was under investigation internally.
That caused unease among the squad members before Wheatley signed a letter of support, reaffirming his faith in Horner, who signed him from Benetton in 2006.
Red Bull might potentially split Wheatley’s role, possibly by promoting Gianpiero Lambiase, who is now the Head of Race Engineering and Max Verstappen’s race engineer.
Another senior individual would be in charge of managing the team during negotiations with the FIA.
However, insiders believe it is unlikely to hunt for external candidates and views the exits of high-paid employees as merely a natural progression.
