How Red Bull Racing are slowly becoming a mid-tier F1 team
General
Once again, a highly-ranked Red Bull Racing employee has left. The name Michael Broadhurst is known by few, but given his position at Red Bull as the team leader of aerodynamics, the Brit was undoubtedly a very important force. Alpine have recently brought him in as their head of the aerodynamics department, which says it all.
With every departure, and even after the announced departure of Adrian Newey, Christian Horner responds rather light-heartedly. He talks about how Red Bull do not depend on one person, saying that there are so many bright minds in the organisation and also that the world champions bring in new people regularly. Red Bull knew exactly what it had with the Neweys and Broadhursts of this world. It always remains to be seen how newcomers find their place within the organisation, and their quality in comparison to their predecessors is largely unknown.
Red Bull Racing need stability
Of course, a company like Red Bull Racing do not depend on one person. You also, however, don't want too many people in important positions leaving in a short space of time. That could cause destabilisation and ultimately inferior results. Especially at this point in its history, Red Bull needs to have peace and stability in terms of personnel, with the new regulations coming up as well as the introduction of the Red Bull Powertrain (in collaboration with Ford).
Over the years, Formula 1 has shown that it is out of the question for a new manufacturer to immediately have an excellent power unit. Only by running races over many years can manufacturers contend with the established hierarchy. However Alpine has been proving for some time now that this is not always the case. Renault powertrains are currently the poorest in Formula 1. Moreover, Red Bull is not originally a car manufacturer, which is an additional handicap. From this perspective, Audi has better prospects than Red Bull for the 2026 season.
Taking Ford's words with a pinch of salt
The positive words said by Horner and this week also by Mark Rushbrook, the boss of Ford Performance Motorsports, about the development of the Red Bull Powertrain (RBPT) should be taken with a pinch of salt. GPblog previously learned both are trying to give the impression that all is rosy with the development of the RBPTs.
Like Horner said earlier, Rushbrook cited in an interview that "all goals are being achieved", but are they really? You can set a goal as Red Bull that you want to finish in the points at the upcoming Grand Prix in Imola. If Max Verstappen finishes ninth next weekend, you can say that the target has been reached. Is that really the right target for a team like Red Bull?
With unrest still happening, it is very understandable that the Verstappen camp has doubts about a long-term future with the Austrians to this day. At the moment, it looks more like Red Bull is on a trajectory towards the mid-table, rather than the team being a front runner in 2026.