McLaren hires from Red Bull, and a Sebastian Vettel sighting as and some champions past and present make a splash.
Autoweek rounds up its notebook from the Spanish Grand Prix.
Marshall Quits Red Bull for New McLaren Role
Rob Marshall, a long-term member of Red Bull Racing’s senior leadership group, will join McLaren in 2024.
Marshall has been with Red Bull since 2006, having moved across from Renault, and was Chief Designer during its title-winning phase of the early 2010s. Marshall took on the role of Chief Engineering Officer in 2016, with his remit including overseeing Red Bull Powertrains, but he has stepped back from his role with immediate effect.
Marshall will take on the position of Technical Director, Engineering & Design, at McLaren, from January. His recruitment comes two months after McLaren axed Technical Director James Key and implemented a revised technical structure, having recognized internal failings and poor in-season development.
Marshall will work alongside Peter Prodromou and David Sanchez—who will also join on January 1—and report directly to Team Principal Andrea Stella.
“Rob’s appointment is one of the fundamental steps and a natural fit to aid the team’s journey to get back to our winning ways,” said Stella. “We are a team with the ambition of fighting for championships, but over the last couple of seasons we have not shown a steady upward trend from an on-track competitiveness point of view.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner conceded that his team is losing “a key figure” and paid tribute, outlining that “his influence will be missed, and we wish him the very best in his new role.”
McLaren has also repurposed its old factory to become its new composites facility, in turn creating more space at the MTC for its heritage cars.
Schumacher Set for Mercedes Test Run
Mick Schumacher will return to Formula 1 action with Mercedes in Spain this week being confirmed for a tyre test run.
Mercedes, along with Ferrari, stayed on at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for two days of post-event running as part of Pirelli’s 2023 program. The main aim will be evaluating the slick tire compounds without tire blankets, amid the company’s aim of removing them for the 2024 season. Regular race driver George Russell will drive the W14 on Tuesday before reserve Schumacher takes over duties on Wednesday. It will be Schumacher’s first on-track running in Formula 1 machinery since joining Mercedes as its reserve driver.
“He has done a great job with the team so far, working hard back in the simulator and giving valuable input trackside,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. “We're looking forward to him getting his first taste of on-track running this year, and sure it will help him in his role as reserve driver.”
Schumacher spent two seasons competing for Haas, in 2021 and 2022, but was not retained for 2023.
Vettel Goes Sailing Along
Sebastian Vettel has kept a relatively low profile since his retirement at the end of 2022.
He made a fleeting appearance to the paddock in Monaco and is due to demonstrate historic machinery—equipped with synthetic fuels—at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed. Vettel has now teamed up with two-time Olympic bronze medalist Erik Heil and entrepreneur Thomas Riedel, whose eponymous company manages audio and video networks in Formula 1, to create Germany SailGP Team.
The team will compete in SailGP, a water-based racing category for F50 catamarans, beginning with season four later this month.
“Parallels between sailors and Formula 1 have long existed,” said Vettel. “The boats are fascinating and the speeds on the water are incredibly high. The races are exciting and I am happy to be close to them with a motivated group of young sailors. In addition, the series not only uses wind power, but also strives to set new standards in sustainability in sports.”
Verstappen Also Makes a Splash
Max Verstappen took a detour to the Barcelona HQ of Alinghi Red Bull Racing, the Swiss squad preparing for the next edition of the America’s Cup, which will be held in the city in 2024. Red Bull Advanced Technologies is working with Alinghi on the design of the AC75 boat, and Verstappen—along with Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey—swung by to take a look.
“There is such a parallel between F1 and what is happening at Alinghi Red Bull Racing as all the systems are broadly similar to our world; aerodynamics, hydrodynamics and the light weight composites,” said Newey. “Then you have the synergy of human and machine. There is plenty for us to learn from and that shows as the partnership between the two is certainly bearing fruit.”
Red Bull’s alliance with Alinghi brings it into marine-based competition with Mercedes, whose Applied Sciences arm has a partnership with the INEOS Britannia entry.
F1 and Sky to Broadcast for Children
Formula 1 and Sky will co-produce a special broadcast aimed at young fans of the championship. The series and one of its biggest broadcast partners will collaborate at next month’s Hungarian GP to produce an international feed targeting children—independent to the main world feed that will still continue as normal.
It is due to air in the United Kingdom and Germany.
Madrid Still in Mix for 2025; South Africa Off the Table
Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix has been held at Barcelona since 1991 but there are plans to relocate it to a street-based event around Madrid’s IFEMA Exhibition Centre, potentially as early as 2025.
It has led to mixed reactions from drivers, particularly given that Barcelona has finally been restored to its fully glory, having axed the unpopular cumbersome chicane that was in place for 16 years. Losing Barcelona would mean losing a high-speed permanent race track in favor of another street facility, with the number of such venues increasing in recent seasons.
In Madrid’s favor, certainly for Formula 1, is the greater availability of public transport options to reach the venue, an aspect which will aid its Net Carbon Zero ambitions for 2030. Another aspect is that Barcelona is hardly renowned for delivering thrilling races.
Elsewhere, plans for a return to South Africa for 2024 have been scrapped, meaning Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps is set to earn (another) one-year reprieve.
Correa’s Super Sunday
Did anyone have a busier Sunday than American youngster Juan Manuel Correa? He is dovetailing his Formula 2 program with a World Endurance Championship campaign in 2023 and that created a clash on Sunday.
Correa raced in the Formula 2 Feature Race in Barcelona and had an eventful time, making up four places at the start, before squandering those gains with a wide moment at the final corner. He came home 11th, just outside of the points, and then raced it to the airport along with Prema boss Rene Rosin.
They flew to Le Mans and got to the circuit mid-afternoon in time to link up with the team for the annual test day ahead of this weekend’s 24-hour event. As a silver-rated driver, Correa had to complete 10 laps of the Circuit de la Sarthe, of which five were consecutive, aboard Prema’s Oreca LMP2 car and he did so before the 7 p.m. deadline.
