Pierre Waché’s position as technical director of Red Bull Racing seems to be under increasing pressure and a departure from Max Verstappen’s team cannot be ruled out, but in what timeframe?
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Before the season, some feared that the new engine developed in-house by RBPT (Red Bull Power Trains) in collaboration with Ford would be the weak point of the RB22.
In reality, there is still a lot of performance to be extracted from this power unit, but that is not Red Bull Racing’s main concern.
Waché in trouble again
The real problem lies in the chassis of the Austrian cars. So far, there is little reason to believe that a short-term improvement, which would at least allow them to compete with McLaren and perhaps Ferrari, is in sight. No one is talking about challenging the dominant Mercedes.
As the technical director successor to Adrian Newey, Waché is ultimately responsible for the Red Bull chassis. His future in the energy drink giant’s top team is becoming increasingly uncertain after once again producing a car that is simply insufficient.
A year ago, Verstappen had managed to mask the shortcomings of the RB21 for a long time, and Waché had succeeded, after numerous updates and adjustments, in improving the car towards the end of the season. Even so, the initial phase of the season ultimately cost Verstappen a fifth world title.
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With the new technical regulations, 2026 represented the real test for Waché, who for the first time could not rely on a car initially co-designed by Adrian Newey. This year, the Frenchman was on his own, and the result of his work is deemed insufficient.
Departures at Red Bull
It is true that not every team can build the fastest car in F1. It is also true that Red Bull cannot be the best every season. In this sense, Waché would not need to worry immediately if he could at least deliver an improvement to the car in the coming months, even if that now seems uncertain.
However, the French engineer must begin to fear for his job, mainly due to internal disagreements at Red Bull regarding working methods and the direction taken. When your team no longer follows you and even resigns out of dissatisfaction with your approach, there eventually comes a time when Red Bull has no choice but to make a difficult decision.
In hindsight, the sudden departure of Craig Skinner is interesting: the Austrian team’s chief designer packed his bags just before the start of the season. Could this be linked to a disagreement with the technical director? To disappointment regarding the potential of the new RB22? It’s speculation, but an intriguing idea. That said, jumping ship just as the championship is beginning would leave Milton Keynes without a captain, a situation that is uncomfortable to say the least in the current situation.
Red Bull cannot afford to see more and more competent employees leave. If that means a difficult decision must be made regarding Waché, Red Bull’s current management will undoubtedly not hesitate to do so, provided they have a plan B, which remains to be seen.
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