After Adrian Newey’s big decision to leave Red Bull, McLaren’s Zak Brown hinted that it could have a domino effect on the Red Bull F1 team. Brown’s prediction could become right as reports suggest that the team’s sporting director, Jonathan Wheatley, could be the next big name to leave.
According to FormulaPassion, the British Times reported that Wheatley “has the ambition of becoming team principal and has explored other teams on the starting grid.” Previously, Wheatley had been in contention to replace Christian Horner as the team boss when speculation was rife about the latter’s fate due to the allegations against him.
However, with Horner staying put, things have unfolded differently at Red Bull concerning the reported power struggles. The turmoil at Milton Keynes had seemingly cooled off for the past month or so. However, Marc Priestley hinted that a lot of discontent could cause some big names to leave Red Bull.
And that is what happened with Newey negotiating his exit from the Austrian team in early 2025. Wheatley is another crucial figure in the structure of the six-time constructors’ champion outfit. The 56-year-old oversees the pit stop aspects of the team.
In addition, Wheatley is also the key point of contact with the FIA for compliance with sporting regulations during race weekends. As things stand, Red Bull has reportedly offered an extension deal to their sporting director to retain him. However, as the sentiments in the paddock suggest, Wheatley could be another big name leaving the Milton Keynes team, just like Newey.
Red Bull has a fierce battle of attrition and poaching to fight
Red Bull may be dominating on track, but it is crumbling from the inside. F1 presenter Will Buxton also expressed similar sentiments about the champion team’s current situation with Adrian Newey’s exit.
As Zak Brown and several other experts hinted, Newey’s exit could lead several engineers away from Red Bull; it would be a battle against attrition for them, with teams looking to poach the unhappy technical talent.
Even before Wheatley, there were reports of Ferrari trying to poach Pierre Wache, the technical director under Newey. However, the Austrian team has elevated his status with a contract renewal, so that may not happen.
Besides, the British designer’s departure also leaves Red Bull no choice but to retain Wache at any cost. However, that may not stop teams like Aston Martin, McLaren, and Ferrari from trying to hire some of the disgruntled employees due to the internal turmoil at Red Bull.
