Red Bull chief 'considering F1 future' amid Christian Horner fallout

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Red Bull chief 'considering F1 future'

Jonathan Wheatley has been with the team nearly two decades

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Saturday 4 May 2024 16:40 Updated: 17:03

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Red Bull could be set to lose another key member of their backroom staff, in the same week that Adrian Newey's imminent departure was announced.

The Times report that sporting director Jonathan Wheatley has been 'sounding out' rival teams on the grid as he looks to fulfil his ambition of becoming a team principal on the Formula 1 pitwall.

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Wheatley has been with the team since 2006 and, if no team principal job offer is forthcoming from another team, could still stay at Red Bull. The 56-year-old is in negotiations over a new deal with the reigning constructors' champions.

The situation at Red Bull has been turbulent since Christian Horner was accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female employee earlier this year, with new rumours of key staff members' exits - including Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen and Horner himself - popping up by the week.

Jonathan Wheatley oversees Red Bull's excellent pit crew

Adrian Newey will leave the team this season

Verstappen: It's not as dramatic as it seems

Verstappen, despite his father being outspoken about the current state of the team, did move to calm fears of a complete teardown of the Red Bull project when speaking to the media in Miami this weekend.

"From the outside it looks very dramatic," he said, "but I think if you actually know what is happening inside the team, it's not as dramatic as it seems."

He added: "I also really trust that the technical that we have, outside of Adrian, is very, very strong and they have basically shown that the last few years with how competitive the car is."

Red Bull have looked as dominant as ever on track this season, with Verstappen taking victory in all four of the races he's finished in 2024 – in addition to a sprint race win last time out.