F1 team boss exit announced as Red Bull chief prepares for huge move

Alessandro Bravi, Christian Horner and Ayao Komatsu in 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 team boss exit announced as Red Bull chief prepares for huge move

Jonathan Wheatley is set to join Audi as their new team principal

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 15 January 2025 19:57 Updated: 12:00

A Red Bull Formula 1 chief is preparing for his switch away from the team, after confirmation of a shock team principal exit.

Red Bull have been forced to come to terms with a number of key exits, as they seek to get themselves back into constructors' championship contention.

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While the problems they faced with their 2024 challenger didn't impact Max Verstappen's drivers' championship charge, Red Bull could only finish third in the constructors' standings, behind both McLaren and Ferrari.

Turbulence at the start of last season surrounding the future of team principal Christian Horner coincided with the decline in performance, and the departures of design legend Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley.

A number of key personnel have left Red Bull

Wheatley set to start new role in 2025

Wheatley has left the team to pursue another opportunity following 19 seasons full of success in a variety of different roles with the Milton Keynes outfit.

The Brit will take over as team principal at the current Sauber-owned team by July 2025 at the latest, just in time for the new regulations that are set to sweep into F1 for the 2026 season.

2026 is also the year in which Sauber will be taken over by German car manufacturer Audi, with their first forays into F1 also seeing them become a power unit manufacturer.

The 2025 season is an opportunity for the team to put themselves in a better position before Audi's arrival, having finished bottom of the constructors' standings in 2024, and the exciting arrivals of Wheatley, Nico Hulkenberg and F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto are set to bolster their ambitions.

Alessandro Alunni Bravi will leave the team later in January

Now, ahead of Wheatley's impending arrival, it has been revealed that Alessandro Alunni Bravi, team representative and acting team principal throughout 2024, will leave his role later this month.

In an official statement, former Ferrari boss-turned Sauber chief technical officer Mattia Binotto said: "Having worked closely with him in the months since my arrival to Hinwil, I want to pay tribute to Alessandro, a true team player who came to embody the essence of Sauber throughout the years.

"Alessandro played a wide range of roles within the team, steering it through difficult and exciting times alike. As he moves onto a new venture, the whole company would like to thank him for all his energy and contributions over the years and wish him the best for the future."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Ferrari McLaren Christian Horner Adrian Newey