09 February 2024 , 11:08
1064
0
Red Bull could lose Adrian Newey's top car design deputy Pierre Wache amid reports linking the Frenchman with a Ferrari switch.
Wache joined the team in 2013 and has risen through the ranks to the technical director position he currently holds. He is effectively the number two to design legend Newey, who still oversees Red Bull's car development efforts.
Wache, 49, has been taking on more responsibility over time and is more involved in the day-to-day work. However, there have been worries at Red Bull for some time that, eventually, the talented Frenchman may one day grow frustrated at the lack of opportunity to move up the ladder further.
Newey is 65 and, although his role has evolved in recent years, is showing no signs that he wants to step away. The unfortunate side-effect for the team may be that Wache decides to move elsewhere.
And, according to BBC Sport, that may happen sooner rather than later. It reports: "Many people in F1 believe - without proof - that Red Bull's technical director Pierre Wache, effectively Newey's number two, is already on his way to Italy in the not-too-distant future."
Sebastian Vettel warns of looming F1 ban and is "very worried about the future"
Losing a key cog in their car design process is the last thing Red Bull Racing needs right now. The team is already facing the possibility of a future without long-serving leader Christian Horner, who is being investigated after an allegation of inappropriate behaviour was made against him by a female colleague.
Horner, 50, has strongly denied the claim. Nevertheless, he is fighting for his future with the team he has led since 2005 and will today meet with the external investigator hired by the energy drinks giant at a secret location to present his side of the story.
Should Wache decide to leave and join Frederic Vasseur's evolving Ferrari project, Red Bull have plenty of talent to promote in-house. Head of aerodynamics Enrico Balbo has been praised on many occasions by Horner in recent times and would surely be a strong candidate for the technical director role, should it become available.
But the more pressing appointment may end up being a new team principal if Red Bull decides to remove Horner from his position at the conclusion of the investigation into him. He is the only leader the team has ever had so, no matter who might replace him, his absence would no doubt be keenly felt.
An internal hire, such as long-serving sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, would at least provide some continuity and familiarity for staff. But there is also a strong possibility that the parent company may choose to install an Austrian executive to gain more control over the racing team - managing director Oliver Mintzlaff being an obvious contender.