Red Bull Chief Designer Craig Skinner Departs Team

Red Bull Racing's veteran chief designer Craig Skinner has left the team, marking another significant departure from the reigning constructors' champion's technical leadership. Skinner was a key architect of the car that powered Max Verstappen to four consecutive world championships from 2021 to 2024, working closely with Adrian Newey and technical director Pierre Wache.

Why it matters:

The departure of a senior technical figure like Skinner, who had been with Red Bull since 2006, adds to a notable brain drain at Milton Keynes. Following the exits of Adrian Newey, Christian Horner, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, and chief strategist Will Courtenay, Skinner's exit raises questions about the long-term stability and continuity of Red Bull's technical department as it navigates a new era under team principal Laurent Mekies and with its first in-house power unit.

The Details:

• Red Bull confirmed to Motorsport.com that Craig Skinner has moved on from his role as chief designer.
• His departure is not believed to be connected to the previous high-profile exits at the team in recent years.
• Skinner joined Red Bull in 2006 as a CFD engineer, rising through the aerodynamics department to become chief of aerodynamics and then chief designer in 2022.
• He was an integral part of the team's recent dominance, contributing to the design of the cars that secured Max Verstappen's championship run.

The Big Picture:

Skinner's exit occurs at a pivotal moment for Red Bull. The team is undergoing a major transition, having successfully developed its first in-house power unit with Ford for the 2026 season—a project that has drawn early praise for its efficient energy deployment. Under Laurent Mekies, the team showed a competitive resurgence in the latter half of 2025. However, the loss of another core technical member adds a layer of complexity to maintaining that momentum against strengthened rivals like Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren.

What's Next:

Red Bull will need to seamlessly integrate new talent into its technical hierarchy to oversee the ongoing development of the promising but complex RB22 package. The team's ability to retain its competitive edge will depend on how effectively it manages this period of significant personnel change while also tackling driver feedback, as Max Verstappen has been openly critical of the 2026 car's driving characteristics, labeling them "anti-racing."