Shortly before the start of this year’s Formula 1 season, Red Bull must cope with an expensive departure: chief designer Craig Skinner is leaving the team with immediate effect.
The reshuffle at Red Bull continues apace shortly before the start of this year’s season: on Tuesday morning, the racing team of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar confirmed that they have to say goodbye to chief designer Craig Skinner with immediate effect.
The Brit, who joined the Milton Keynes team alongside Adrian Newey in the 2006 season, is leaving Red Bull at his own request. The exact reasons are unknown, but his departure is not believed to be related to the departures of other executives in recent months.
Technical genius Newey moved to Aston Martin, while sporting director Jonathan Wheatley now heads Audi’s Formula 1 team. Chief strategist Will Courtenay moved to McLaren ahead of the 2026 season, and team principal Christian Horner also had to vacate his post last year.
Craig Skinner leaves Red Bull after 20 years
Skinner, a successful mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Glasgow, worked for Jordan and Williams before joining Red Bull. The Briton initially worked as a CFD engineer for the Red Bulls before rising to senior positions within the aerodynamics department.
After four years as head of aerodynamics, Skinner took over the position of chief designer in the 2022 season and worked closely with Newey and technical director Pierre Wache. Among other things, Skinner was responsible for the design of the RB19, with which Verstappen won his third world championship title in the 2023 season.
“After 20 years with the team, our chief designer Craig Skinner will be leaving the Red Bull technology team,” according to an official statement. “Craig has been an integral part of our team and our success. We thank him for his hard work and dedication. The entire Red Bull team wishes him all the best for the future.”
It remains to be seen what consequences Skinner’s departure will have for Red Bull. The team has made a solid impression in testing so far, and the drive unit it developed in-house has also exceeded all expectations in the first test drives in Barcelona and Bahrain.