He was touted as Red Bull’s next team principal, but Christian Horner ‘never’ let him do interviews

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Christian Horner said goodbye to several senior staff at Red Bull in the 18 months before he lost his job. The ownership may have been concerned by this exodus.

Aerodynamicist Rob Marshall left the team at the end of 2023. Marshall, who worked with Adrian Newey, has gone on to become an influential figure in McLaren’s dominance.

Newey himself handed in his resignation in the spring. He started work at Aston Martin in March, though his impact won’t truly be felt until 2026.

Away from the design team, Red Bull lost two of their most important operational figures. Audi poached Jonathan Wheatley to lead their F1 project, and Will Courtenay followed Marshall to McLaren (though he’ll have to see out the 2025 season first).

Jonathan Wheatley is now ‘unshackled’ after facing Red Bull media restrictions

According to Viaplay commentator Nelson Valkenburg, Horner would ‘never’ let the media interview Wheatley. He preferred to divide press duties between himself and the two drivers.

This may have been an attempt to protect some of his colleagues from scrutiny. But Wheatley seems to be enjoying the greater freedom at Sauber, where he’s able to call the shots.

The former sporting director has made a hugely impressive start, though he can’t take credit for their recent upgrades. Nico Hulkenberg ended the team’s 13-year podium drought last time out at Silverstone.

“We were never able to talk to Jonathan Wheatley,” Valkenburg told ‘Nailing the Apex’, an F1 podcast. “It was a hard ‘no’ within the team. You could talk to Christian Horner, you could talk to the drivers maybe, but no one else. Maybe Newey if he was up to it.

“But never Jonathan Wheatley. Now he comes up to you, he’s totally unshackled. It’s so interesting to see.”

How Jonathan Wheatley put himself forward to succeed Christian Horner

Wheatley was widely viewed as a potential replacement for Horner when the long-serving team boss eventually left. He was credited with Red Bull’s class-leading pit stops, and possessed an almost robotic understanding of the F1 rule book.

According to Andrew Benson, Wheatley put himself forward as an alternative to Horner in early 2024. But the incumbent held onto his position.

Perhaps that was the moment he decided to move on. To add to the intrigue, Horner upset Audi by announcing Wheatley’s exit before the German manufacturer were ready.

Red Bull did promote from within, in a sense, by hiring Laurent Mekies from Racing Bulls. Mekies was previously the deputy at Ferrari.