Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff remains unfazed by the number of staff that have left High Performance Powertrains to join its new rival at Red Bull.
Red Bull Powertrains is currently in the process of ramping up toward its debut in 2026 when the new power unit era kicks in, with its new 5,000-square-foot plant on its campus at Milton Keynes now fully operational.
The Powertrains factory will have a staff of 500 when the adjacent building that will develop the energy recovery system has been completed.
In the process, Red Bull has recruited key staff from Mercedes, including the likes of technical director Ben Hodgkinson, and head of ICE operations Steve Brodie, who were formerly head of mechanical engineering, and trackside and final inspection manager respectively at Mercedes HPP.
Wolff insists, however, the trading of personnel is all part of the game that goes on behind the scenes within F1.
“It is a very ambitious project with Red Bull Powertrains and a very courageous project,” remarked Wolff.
“HPP has 1,000 employees and we lost some to Red Bull in the same way we lost some to Ferrari, to Renault, and indeed, the other way around.
“You know, we are not bragging about any people that have joined us from Red Bull. I won’t mention any names. We have a constant influx of Red Bull people, as we have from the other teams.
“The two of us are often discussing that. It is happening all the time.
“And so, the people they’ve hired, we wish them the best. Some of them were retired from our organisation and ended up there in a leading position, but that’s fine. They’ve been given a second lifeline.”
Horner and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner have so far engaged in a tit-for-tat exchange with regard to the 2026 rules.
Horner has called for a tweak to the now-defined regulations, believing that unless a five to 10 percent shift is made back toward combustion and away from electrification, away from its current 50-50 split, then the cars will take on a “Frankenstein” appearance via aerodynamics to compensate.
In response, Wolff has simply called Horner a ‘doom-monger’ who is “frightened his engine programme is not coming along”, and that there is “zero chance” of a change to the engine rules.
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