Former Formula 1 race director Niels Wittich believes Red Bull Racing has been hit hard by losing one of their most valuable team members.
The German official thinks the team is really feeling the absence of Jonathan Wheatley following Christian Horner’s recent exit from the organization.
Wheatley, who served as Red Bull’s sporting director, has now taken on the role of team principal at Sauber. During his time as race director, Wittich worked closely with the British executive.
“He did his job excellently,” Wittich said on the Boxengasse podcast. “He represented his team as well as he could, and of course, I did not always agree with him, but that’s part of it.”
”He doesn’t have to agree with me. He just needs to make sure he gets the maximum out for the team. So yes, [he is] hard, but fair.”
Wheatley was one of the ‘top people’
Wittich admits there were times when he and Wheatley didn’t see eye to eye, but he finds this completely normal in the high-pressure world of F1.
“Of course, everyone is always looking for someone to blame [when things go wrong].”
”It’s the same elsewhere in sports: if you blame the coach or the referee, there’s always a moment when you have a few discussions.”
Despite these occasional clashes, Wittich speaks highly of their working relationship.
“We never parted on bad terms. Yes, everyone basically did their job, as it’s supposed to be done. And as far as I’m concerned, he was one of the top people [within Red Bull].”
This loss could prove significant for the team as they navigate through a challenging period in the 2024 season.
