Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has downplayed the impact of losing two key members of staff ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Technical guru Adrian Newey announced his high-profile departure from the Milton Keynes-based outfit at the Miami Grand Prix, working on the brand’s RB17 project in the time ahead of what was later announced as a switch to Aston Martin.

Another loss came later in the year as sporting director Jonathan Wheatley agreed to become the team principal for Audi’s F1 effort, completing a year of gardening leave alongside the outfit’s final year under the Sauber guise.

Both were part of the Red Bull set-up since the team’s infancy in the championship, playing vital roles in the championship wins for Sebastian Vettel(2010-13) and Max Verstappen (2021-24) – but Horner is unmoved by the potential effects their departures could have.

“There’s only two going and obviously, Adrian left in Miami, so we haven’t seen him. He’s been working on the RB17 since then, so he’s not been working on any F1 projects,” Horner told Autosport.

“Obviously, sad to see them go. They’ve both played important roles in the team over their tenure in the team.

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Manager, Red Bull Racing
© Motorsport.com

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Manager, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Andreas Beil

“But the show goes on, and I think we’ve got the strength and depth we’ve got. We have that and arguably 2026 – what we’re gearing up for in 2026 with our own power unit – is by far the biggest challenge and the most ambitious project this team has ever taken on.

“So, 2025, Jonathan will step off the pitwall, but other than that, everything remains the same.”

Insisting the team was not entering a rebuild, Horner added: “I would say rebuild goes way too far for two people that have left. It’s evolution.

“It’s something that has been on the cards for a little while, so something that has been part of the planning for some time.”

Red Bull, which failed to retain its constructors’ title after being overtaken by McLaren and Ferrarilast term, has made further structural changes to the management team, including the promotion of Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to head of racing.

Former senior strategy engineer Stephen Knowles takes on a new head of sporting regulations role which will help ensure compliance with F1’s rules as the liaison point with the FIA, while senior engineer of car engineering Richard Wolverson is taking on the head of racing operations job.

World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Gianpiero Lambiase, Red Bull Racing race engineer
© Autosport.com

World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Gianpiero Lambiase, Red Bull Racing race engineer

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

On whether Lambiase would still be Verstappen’s voice of reason, Horner explained: “Yes, he’ll still be working directly with Max. He just takes on a broader role, obviously, as he steps up.”

Pointing to the changes made, he added: “It’s just a natural progression trackside with those personnel.

“It’s great because it gives them an opportunity and sometimes an organisation, if it remains stagnant, it fails to progress.

“So, I think this is a fantastic opportunity of progression for many people in the team that have been long standing team members that deserve that opportunity.”

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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Eric Chelle as the head coach of the Super Eagles.

The NFF announced the appointment of the Malian tactician in a statement on Tuesday, January 7.

The decision followed the recommendation of the NFF’s Technical and Development Sub-Committee during its meeting held in Abuja on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

Chelle, 47, is a former head coach of Mali’s senior national team, who also managed clubs such as GS Consolat, FC Martigues, Boulogne, and MC Oran.

During his playing career in France, he represented Martigues, Valenciennes, Lens, Istres, and Chamois Niortais.

Born in Côte d’Ivoire to a French father and a Malian mother, Chelle was eligible to represent Côte d’Ivoire, France, and Mali. He opted for Mali, earning five caps before retiring.

As Mali’s head coach from 2022 to 2024, Chelle led the Aiglons to the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire.

Under his leadership, Mali recorded 14 wins, five draws, and three losses.

Lewis Hamilton is set to make his Ferrari on-track debut in just two weeks’ time, as the Scuderia adjusts to the new, more restrictive FIA regulations surrounding private testing with older machinery, Autosport understands.

Up to last season, there was no limit on how much running was allowed with two- to four-year-old cars, but the rules were tweaked for 2025 after Max Verstappen tested Red Bull’s 2022 challenger at Imola back in June last year, as his team strained to cure its RB20’s issues with kerb-riding.

Formula 1’s sporting regulations issued by the FIA last December read: “Each Competitor may complete a maximum of one thousand (1000) kilometres of TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] in each calendar year using drivers entered in the Championship, or which they intend to enter in the Championship, such distance being accumulated over a maximum of four (4) of the days allowed under Article 10.2f.”

As a consequence, Ferrari will use up its four days and 1000km of testing this month to help Hamilton acclimatise to his new team ahead of the 2025 campaign, with a maiden run on the Italian team’s home Fiorano track set to take place on 20 or 21 January depending on the weather.

The Scuderia will then move on to Barcelona later this month, with the Catalan circuit booked for at least four days. This will give the squad some wiggle room in case rain throws a spanner in the works, as it will be able to run on the most favourable three days – bringing the total up to the allowed four days of testing.

Another decision yet to be made is whether Hamilton will drive Ferrari’s SF-23 or its predecessor from 2022, the F1-75.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
© Autosport.com

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, in Fiorano

Photo by: Ferrari

Team principal Frederic Vasseur previously stated that he was “not worried at all” about Hamilton’s adaptation to the Maranello-based outfit, pointing out that the record holder for world titles, grand prix wins, pole positions and podiums is no rookie.

“We know that we have a lot of procedures to assimilate during this couple of days, but he is experienced enough to do it,” the Frenchman added.

“We have the advantage to have the simulator and he will be able to do a race simulation and a qualifying simulation in the simulator, and to be fully prepared with the steering wheel and all the particularities of the car. But I am not worried about this, and it is not the biggest challenge.”

Read Also:

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ferrari-first-to-reveal-2025-f1-car-launch-date/10683489/

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/hamilton-calls-to-embrace-the-change-after-ferrari-switch/10686108/

Meanwhile, Hamilton made his state of mind clear in a LinkedIn post last week.

“Moving to Scuderia Ferrari, there’s a lot to reflect on,” the seven-time world champion wrote. “To anyone considering their next move in 2025: embrace the change. Whether you’re switching industries, learning a new skill, or even just taking on new challenges, remember that reinvention is powerful.”

Ferrari will reveal its new F1 car on 19 February – one day after the official F1 launch in London, and one week before official pre-season testing gets under way in Bahrain on 26 February.