Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is baffled by the high salaries rival teams are offering to Red Bull staff members. The team has been experiencing a significant staff exodus for some time, largely due to Red Bull’s inability to match the salaries offered by their competitors.
Red Bull continues to lose employees to rival teams. Notably, top designer Adrian Newey is leaving the Austrian team for Aston Martin, and Jonathan Wheatley is set to become the new team boss at Audi. Helmut Marko questions the financial resources other teams are using to poach staff.
“Of course, if you win three years in a row and are so dominant in 2023, your team members are coveted by other teams,” says Marko in a conversation with ORF. The advisor reveals that some teams even offer to “double” the salaries of Red Bull staff members.
“What surprises me are the amounts being offered. We always struggle with the budget limit, there are financial constraints,” explains Marko. “But still, these employees are offered double and more than what we give. And they have a higher position than with us.”
Natural Progression
Marko regrets that Red Bull therefore “cannot keep everyone”. Some key figures, like Newey and Wheatley, have been with the team for nearly two decades. “They were part of this team, they were part of the success and it hurts when they leave. It all comes down to finances and great career opportunities. If you can’t offer the same, then it can’t be helped and that’s the natural progression of things.”
