P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Red Bull suffered a series of key F1 exits across the 2024 season – however, Christian Horner has revealed he encouraged one such figure to make a switch to a rival team.
Christian Horner encouraged Jonathan Wheatley to join the Audi F1 team as its team principal despite his importance to Red Bull. Wheatley, who was the sporting director at Red Bull, will start his new role at Audi on April 1, ahead of the team’s entry in 2026. Horner supported Wheatley’s decision and believes he will excel in the new position. The departure of Wheatley, Adrian Newey, and Will Courtenay from Red Bull led to team restructuring, which Horner deems healthy for competitiveness. Despite Newey’s exit early in the season, Red Bull continued to succeed under Max Verstappen’s leadership.
