“You have to write a big cheque sometimes” – Toto Wolff unsurprised as Red Bull sign five more Mercedes engine staff for their Powertrains operations.
After signing Mercedes’ head of mechanical engineering Ben Hodgkinson as the technical director of Red Bull Powertrains, Red Bull has confirmed the arrival of five more engine staff from Mercedes as part of their leadership team to develop the power units for the Red Bull and AlphaTauri teams.
- Mercedes’ head of manufacturing Steve Blewett is to become Red Bull’s power unit production director.
- Omid Mostaghimi, who is Mercedes’ F1 electronics team leader, will be Red Bull’s head of powertrains, electronics, and ERS.
- Pip Clode, who is Mercedes’ F1 power unit concept team leader, is to become Red Bull’s head of mechanical design ERS.
- Anton Mayo, a Mercedes engineering team leader, will be head of power unit design ICE.
- Steve Brodie, Mercedes’ F1 trackside and final inspection manager, will become Red Bull’s Group Leader ICE Operations.
The team will also announce a Head of Mechanical Development in the coming weeks.
Toto Wolff understands Christian Horner’s motive
Mercedes are certainly alarmed by this development, as the engine drinks company looks intent on dislodging them from the pinnacle of the sport. But boss Toto Wolff doesn’t sound too alarmed, suggesting it was a natural course of action for counterpart Christian Horner.
“We will lose some, we will win some. But at the end of the day, I believe in the philosophy of Mercedes, and I believe that we are a really good employer. It’s a place where there’s high pressure, but there’s also a lot of fun. We can be proud of that and we have to rely on that.
“There will always be a back and forth. But let’s put it this way, I understand where Christian is coming from, he wants to build a structure and that’s where you have to write a big cheque sometimes. But that’s okay.”
