Formula 1: Red Bull loses engineers to rivals

Red Bull it’s the best team Formula 1 and this statement is backed up by a great driver like double champion Max Verstappen -and fundamentally- by a remarkable group of engineers who have created the fastest car on the grid. Aware of this, other teams bring juicy proposals to their employees and in the last hours Ferrari and McLaren convinced three of them.

The most recent case is that of Rob Marshallthe veteran Red Bull chief engineer who has left Milton Keynes after 17 years and will take over as chief designer at McLaren in January 2024.

The British engineer held that role with the Austrian team from 2010 to 2013, when the drivers’ and constructors’ championships were won. Hence, Red Bull created the extensive role of Technical Director especially for him, where he was involved in the Red Bull Powertrains project, which is why he left his position with immediate effect despite the fact that the relationship will end at the end of the season. in progress.

“I am very pleased that Rob is joining McLaren,” said Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal. “With more than 25 years working in motorsport, Rob comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience., who grew out of his tenure and career at Red Bull Racing. Rob’s appointment is one of the fundamental steps and a natural adaptation to help the team get back on the road to victory,” predicted whoever replaced Andreas Seidl as sporting director this year, who took over as CEO of Sauber due to the farewell by Fred Vasseur at Ferrari.

Since, the Italian Stella made several decisions and entered into various contracts, like that of David Sánchez, head of concept cars at Ferrari, the team in which he trained. “We are a team with the ambition to fight for the championships, but in the last two seasons we have not shown a constant growing trend in terms of competitiveness on the track. In recent months we have worked to reverse this trend”. , he remarked in Tuesday’s statement and stressed “strengthening the team from the point of view of people and experience”.

“We have strengthened our workforce with the inclusion of new talent. The roster was already strong and encouraging, and the addition of a highly skilled and highly skilled individual in Rob will further strengthen our ability to set the highest technical standards at McLaren and be able to design winning F1 cars. We look forward to welcoming Rob in the near future.”

Christian Hornerthe boss of Red Bull, also fired Marshall through a statement: “We want to thank Rob for all he has done for the team over the past 17 years. His work in the generation of cars that has given us an incredible four championship doubles between the 2010 and 2013 was truly exceptional. His influence will be missed, but once again we thank him for all he has done and wish him all the best in his new role.”

Furthermore, a few hours before two Red Bull engineers started working at Ferrari. While not as high-end as the one achieved by McLaren, their value is considered important in the Gestione Sportiva office for the 2024 car.

Only the name of one transcended: the American David George, college professor in Maryland, with experience in Nascar and IndyCar and dedicated to aerodynamics. The other, on the other hand, is a former Red Bull aerodynamicist who has decided to focus on the relaunch of Ferrari and who will also work under the orders of Enrico Cardile.