Martin Brundle, the renowned former Formula 1 driver and current Sky Sports commentator, does not foresee the departure of Rob Marshall from Red Bull Racing as a catalyst for the reigning champions to falter.
Marshall recently announced his move to McLaren after spending 17 years with Red Bull in Milton Keynes.
Despite Marshall’s impending departure, the delay in his transition means that he may still have a say in the development of Red Bull’s 2024 car alongside lead designer Adrian Newey.
However, his vast knowledge and experience could also be applied to his new role at the Woking-based team, potentially impacting McLaren’s performance.
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Red Bull had previously lost Dan Fallows to Aston Martin ahead of the 2022 season, with the Silverstone-based team having since experienced a surge in performance.
Brundle believes that Red Bull possesses a deep pool of talented individuals who are well-prepared to step into Marshall’s role seamlessly.
With a team consisting of approximately 1,250 members, including a talented group of designers and promising young talents, Red Bull is unlikely to crumble any time soon.
While acknowledging the loss of experienced individuals like Rob Marshall and Dan Fallows, Brundle emphasised that the team’s strong foundation, including the continued involvement of Adrian Newey, ensures their stability.
He also acknowledged the allure of Red Bull’s success, as employees who have contributed to the team’s achievements often become attractive targets for other teams seeking their expertise.
Brundle added that the desire to replicate Red Bull’s success has led to speculation about individuals potentially carrying the “secret code” of their speed to other teams. However, he believes that it would take considerable time, at least two seasons, for these individuals to make a significant impact on their new teams’ cars.
“They’ll be sad to lose a man of Rob Marshall’s calibre, as they were [with] Dan Fallows,” Brundle told Sky Sports.
“There are 1,250 people in the team, there’ll be a big team of designers, some bright young people coming along as well. With Newey signed up for the concept as it were, no, Red Bull are not going to crumble anytime soon.
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“Of course, all of the people that have worked on this Red Bull get a touch of magic dust to go with it and makes them very attractive to other teams to get the big payday and move over.
“And those are the teams that hope that they’re going to bring the secret code with them and what makes this Red Bull so fast.
“It would take years, probably two seasons at least for them to have an impact down the road on the new cars. Red Bull are not going to be short of people.”