Red Bull reshuffles technical team amid performance struggles

Red Bull Racing has restructured its technical leadership, promoting Ben Waterhouse and recruiting Andrea Landi, in a direct response to the inconsistent and unpredictable performance of its RB22 car under Formula 1's new regulations.

Why it matters:

This internal shake-up signals that Red Bull, a team accustomed to setting the development pace, is proactively addressing a performance deficit rather than waiting for a crisis. In a tightly packed competitive field, streamlining the link between car design and on-track execution is critical to returning to a position of consistent strength and supporting Max Verstappen's title ambitions.

The details:

• Leadership Consolidation: Long-serving engineer Ben Waterhouse has been promoted to the new role of Chief Performance and Design Engineer. This merges the car design and on-track performance departments under a single leader, aiming to break down internal silos and accelerate problem-solving for the tricky RB22.
• New Blood: From July, Andrea Landi will join as Head of Performance, bringing senior experience from Ferrari and the wider Red Bull organization. His arrival is intended to provide a fresh analytical perspective on the car's data and behavior.
• The Core Problem: The team is grappling with a car that lacks predictability. Max Verstappen has highlighted its inconsistent handling, which veers from competitive to temperamental across a race weekend, making it difficult to optimize setup and strategy.

What's next:

The restructure is a clear investment in solving the RB22's fundamental issues. The immediate goal is to deliver Verstappen a more predictable and consistently fast car. Long-term, these moves are designed to sharpen Red Bull's technical operations to ensure it remains a front-runner in this new regulatory era, where rivals have closed the gap. Success will be measured by the car's stability and the team's ability to out-develop its competitors through the season.