Red Bull Chief Designer Craig Skinner Departs Championship-Winning Team
Red Bull's chief designer Craig Skinner, a pivotal engineer behind the team's recent championship-winning cars, has left the Milton Keynes squad. His departure is part of an ongoing reshuffle of senior technical personnel, though the team's competitive momentum with its new RB22 car remains strong.
Craig Skinner, the long-serving chief designer who was a key engineering architect behind Red Bull's recent Formula 1 dominance, has left the Milton Keynes-based team. His departure marks another significant shift in the senior technical personnel of the reigning constructors' champion.
Why it matters:
Skinner was a central figure in translating aerodynamic and structural concepts into the physical cars that delivered Red Bull's championship-winning performance from 2022 onward. While not a public-facing name, his work formed part of the technical backbone during a period when the team rewrote performance benchmarks. His exit is part of a broader, gradual transition within the organization's technical leadership.
The details:
- Skinner joined Red Bull at the start of the 2006 season as a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) specialist, a role fundamental to modern F1 car development.
- He rose through the aerodynamics department, becoming its chief before being appointed Chief Designer in 2022.
- In that role, he worked closely alongside legendary designer Adrian Newey and Technical Director Pierre Wache at the epicenter of the car's conception.
- Sources indicate his departure is not directly linked to other recent high-profile exits, such as former chief strategist Will Courtenay or Jonathan Wheatley.
The big picture:
The team's competitive momentum appears unaffected by these personnel changes. Under Team Principal Laurent Mekies, Red Bull found strong late-season form in 2025 and enters the 2026 pre-season with optimism centered on the new RB22. This car is the first powered by Red Bull's in-house engine project developed with Ford, with early impressions praising its efficient electric energy deployment—a technical highlight noted by rivals.
What's next:
Skinner's departure feels more like a changing of the guard than a fracture. The design philosophies and engineering discipline he helped embed remain core to the team's identity. There is no immediate indication of his next destination, but his legacy is etched into the contours of the championship-winning cars developed during his tenure. Red Bull's technical structure, now focused on the new engine era, will continue its evolution without one of its key recent architects.