P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Jonathan Wheatley was Red Bull’s sporting director until joining Stake earlier this year.
Jonathan Wheatley, Red Bull’s former sporting director turned Stake team principal, suggested that the team erred in not having Max Verstappen give up the lead during the Saudi Arabian GP. Verstappen crossed the run-off at Turn 1 on the first lap due to Oscar Piastri cutting in on the inside, a move that led to Verstappen receiving a five-second penalty, ultimately costing him the victory. Wheatley, the ex-Rules Guru for Red Bull, reflected on the incident post-race, comparing it to a similar situation in the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP involving Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Had Wheatley still been on the Red Bull pit-wall, he implied that he would have advised a different course of action. Despite not wanting to comment on how other teams operate, Wheatley acknowledged that handling the Verstappen-Piastri incident would have likely been approached differently within the Red Bull team.
