Jonathan Wheatley will leave Red Bull after 18 years to take the role as team principal of Audi and is another key loss to the reigning world champion squad.
A simple 175-word statement posted on Red Bull's WhatsApp group to journalists delivered the news that one of its most senior staff was leaving. It confirmed that Wheatley, the team's sporting director, was joining Audi to become its new team principal. It is undoubtedly a major coup for Audi, which joins F1 in 2026, as Wheatley would have been top of my wish-list for a team boss.
It marks a swift development for Audi, which was growing concerned by a lack of progress. Andreas Seidl left as Audi F1 team CEO along with chairman of the Sauber board Oliver Hoffmann. They have been replaced by former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto, who will oversee the whole of Audi's F1 operation, and now Wheatley is installed as its team principal.
While this undoubtedly strengthens Audi's team, despite having missed out on signing Carlos Sainz who has joined Williams from next season, the focus switched to what it means for Red Bull.
Ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, when Red Bull confirmed Adrian Newey would be leaving, the narrative from the team was clear - Newey was seeking a new challenge but there was significant strength in depth to navigate his departure.
Newey has worked at Red Bull since 2006 and drawn the plaudits for the team's success as it took 13 world titles, and rightly so. But, in recent years, his involvement in the day-to-day design department had reduced, with Red Bull's technical director Pierre Wache stepping into that role.
Within the team there was a sense that Newey's departure was at a natural end to his tenure and it professed to have a replacement in Wache. However, in Wheatley's case, there is no obvious ready-made alternative and, unlike the design department, finding a replacement will prove tricky.
PLUS: Why soon-to-depart Newey isn't Red Bull's only senior figure to miss
Wheatley's role as sporting director - sometimes referred to as team manager - has long-been overlooked. He is a vital part of maintaining the operational and sporting aspects of a team. He runs the trackside operation, he's responsible for travel plans, car build, personnel and logistics. He's also responsible for the pitstops, where Red Bull is consistently quick, and crucially, he is the link between the team and the FIA.
The perfect example of his influence can be illustrated by his conversations with former FIA race director Michael Masi in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Wheatley's impact during that race undoubtedly led to the chain of events that culminated in that controversial end to the season and resulted in Max Verstappen winning the world title. Wheatley, a former chief mechanic with Benetton, was unflappable and sought to test the wording of the FIA rulebook.
Red Bull again professes to have his departure covered. Within the 175 words, the final two sentences of the statement read: "Red Bull Racing have tremendous strength and depth and this provides opportunity to elevate others within the team. We will announce a new team structure in the coming weeks."
However, in this instance, it is not obvious whether it does have a replacement. The wider issue too is that coming so soon off the back of Newey's departure, Red Bull's rivals will be quick to scream that the world champion is in a state of decline.
They will point to the fact that it has not won a race in the last four grands prix and illustrate Verstappen's frustration and Sergio Perez's wretched form.
Externally, Red Bull will attempt to block out the noise but, internally, it may struggle to do the same for its workforce, especially after seeing Wheatley - the guy that glued them all together - is now jumping ship, albeit for a promotion.
