Red Bull Racing reported two changes in the near future within their technical department as they try to rebuild the F1 team in 2026. As Ben Waterhouse is promoted to a more senior role, Andrea Landi will joine the team.
The Austrian team has lost many key figures in recent years. Last year, after 20 years, both Christian Horner, Team Principal and CEO, and Helmut Marko, motorsport advisor, were removed by Red Bull. A year before, Adrian Newey, Chief Technical Officer, left for Aston Martin and Jonathan Wheatley, Sporting Director, left to become Audi’s Team Principal. Rob Marshall, Chief Engineering Officer, left for McLaren in 2023. Head of Race Strategy Will Courtenay also left for the papaya team this year, while Craig Skinner, Chief Designer, also left the Red Bull with immediate effect.
Most recently, news broke out that GianPiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen’s engineer, will leave Red Bull to join McLaren as Chief Racing Officer in 2028.
Red Bull in search for “high-performing solutions” in F1 2026 season and beyond
After the ripple effects from these changes, and the team’s current struggle in the F1 2026 season, pressure has been on to see how they regroup. In this context, Red Bull have announced: “A series of organisational changes within its technical department, aimed at reinforcing its focus on performance and innovation.”
Effective immediately, Ben Waterhouse, long-time head of performance engineering, will assume an “expanded leadership role” as Chief Performance and Design Engineer. He will be responsible across Design and Vehicle Performance and will report directly to Technical Director Pierre Wache.
Waterhouse had initially joined Red Bull in 2014, coming from BMW-Sauber. He first arrived as Deputy Technical Director at Scuderia Toro Rosso, and in 2017 climbed to Head of Performance Engineering at the main team, Red Bull Racing.
On his promotion, the team stated: “This evolution strengthens integration between these areas and will accelerate the development of competitive, high-performing solutions.”
Moreover, the press release stated that from 1 July 2026 onwards, Andrea Landi will fulfill Waterhouse’s old position. Landi will become Head of Performance, reporting to Waterhouse, after working as Deputy Head of Vehicle Performance at Ferrari and Deputy Technical Director at Racing Bulls.
“Andrea brings extensive Formula 1 experience from his previous roles. His expertise will further strengthen the Team’s performance capabilities.
“These changes support the Team’s long-term technical ambitions and reflect its continued focus on developing internal talent while attracting leading expertise from across the sport.”
