Red Bull Racing announces Rob Marshall's departure to McLaren

The summer transfer window begins! With a very big surprise: the departure, in the organization chart, of the 2nd most important character in the technical galaxy of Red Bull Racing, Rob Marshall. Present for almost two decades (2005) within the walls of the Milton Keynes stable, this is an announcement that is sure to appeal.

The current head of engineering, who works with Adrian Newey, is being stood down with immediate effect before his arrival, scheduled for January 2024, at McLaren. A so-called “gardening” period that is ultimately quite short for a person of his rank and in possession of all the secrets that make Red Bull Racing win.

For McLaren, this is a very big catch, but as they say: “you can't catch flies with vinegar”. Also, we must suspect the approach of a very large-scale project on the Woking side for Rob Marshall to deign to leave a team in full power for a team that is currently mid-pack.

Despite this decision, Christian Horner, the boss of the Red Bull Racing team, wanted to thank him for his efforts over so many years.

« We would like to thank Rob for everything he has done for the team over the past 17 years, said the British manager. His work on the generation of cars that gave us an incredible four championship doubles between 2010 and 2013 was truly remarkable.

In the years that followed he continued to be a key figure in the team, and in 2016 he took on the wider role of Director of Engineering, which saw him involved in other projects in the company. We will miss his influence, but once again, we thank him for all he has done and wish him the best in his new role. »

A classy message. The hardest part begins for Red Bull Racing: staying at the top.

Key step in the restructuring of Woking

For its part, McLaren specified that Marshall would be its new technical director, in charge of engineering and design, from January 1, 2024. The future ex-Red Bull engineer will therefore replace James Key, who arrived at the start of the season in due to the complicated gestation of MCL60.

Marshall will be part of the technical executive team, alongside Peter Prodromou and David Sanchez. All will report directly to team principal Andrea Stella. Marshall will be supported by Neil Houdley, who will take on the newly created role of Deputy Technical Director, Engineering and Design.

« I'm delighted to welcome Rob to McLaren, greeted Stella. With more than 25 years of experience in motorsport, he will arrive with excellent technical background and extensive experience. His career and track record at Red Bull speak for themselves.

Rob's appointment is one of the fundamental steps in McLaren's restructuring. It is an essential addition to allow us to regain the outposts. Our ambition is to play in the championships but the last few seasons have not resulted in enough progress on the track.

For several months, we have been working hard to reverse the trend through a global approach and the recruitment of highly qualified people. (…) The arrival of Rob is part of this approach and will strengthen it ».

Arriving in Surrey, Marshall knows he has his work cut out for him to turn around a former top team that has fallen into the middle of the pack for too long.

READ ALSO : The real fake withdrawal of Honda in 2021, the godsend that allowed Red Bull to reach a new milestone