A former Red Bull team member has confirmed the bombshell details surrounding their exit, and how they ended up signing for a rival Formula 1 team.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit have lost a number of key personnel over the past two years, including sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, who will become Sauber's team principal later in 2025.
In 2023, Red Bull also bid farewell to their chief engineering officer Rob Marshall, who took his expertise to McLaren and has since led them to the constructors’ championship as their chief designer.
Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley have both left Red BullRob Marshall is one of several high-profile exits from the team
Marshall reveals details behind Red Bull exit
According to team principal Andrea Stella, Marshall has fulfilled a role that was ‘missing’ at McLaren prior to his arrival, not only due to his technical expertise but also his hands-on role in the garage.
The engineer has recently discussed his bombshell switch to Red Bull’s rivals himself, revealing that the phone call from the team came at the right time to prompt a switch.
"McLaren asked me at the right time," he told GPBlog. "I was at a point where I thought: 'If I don’t move to another team now, I’ll probably be here forever.’
"I really enjoyed my time at Red Bull, it was a great place to work, but then you get to the stage where you become blasé.
"And then the phone rings and they say, ‘Do you want to leave?’ And you’re about to say no," Marshall continued. "But at that point you’re like, 'I’ve been fooling myself, I think it’s probably time to go.'"