Red Bull suffer major F1 blow as design genius resigns on eve of 2026 season

Verstappen during Day 1 of Bahrain Test 1 — Photo: © Image credit: Red Bull Content Pool

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Red Bull suffer major F1 blow as design genius resigns on eve of 2026 season

Change is afoot

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 17 February 2026 18:27

Red Bull F1 have lost their chief designer on the eve of the 2026 season after leading the design team for four years.

Craig Skinner has worked closely with the likes of Adrian Newey and Pierre Wache since being promoted to chief designer in 2022, and was notably behind the design of Red Bull's imperious RB19.

Originally joining Red Bull at the start of the 2006 season, Skinner has now brought his long association with the team to a close and it is understood that he has chosen to leave the team.

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"After 20 years with the team, Craig Skinner, our Chief Designer, will be leaving the Red Bull Technology team," Red Bull said in a statement.

"Craig has been an integral part of our team and its success, and we would like to thank him for his hard work and commitment.

"The whole Red Bull team wishes him all the best for the future."

Craig Skinner joins Red Bull exits

Skinner originally joined Red Bull in 2006 as a CFD engineer and in 2018, he was appointed deputy head of aerodynamics.

The Brit is one of the many long-standing Red Bull figures to depart in recent years, with Newey and Jonathan Wheatley switching to rivals Aston Martin and Audi respectively.

Wheatley's departure was to take on a more senior role as Audi's team principal, with switches to rival teams often avenues of advancement for engineers in the F1 paddock.

Red Bull enters a new era with Laurent Mekies at the helm, and with the help of Ford their in-house power unit is the talk of the town thanks to its electric energy deployment.

Whether this will be enough to conquer Mercedes' monster engine remains to be seen, with the top teams concealing a little of their true potential during Bahrain testing.

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