Rumor: Red Bull poaches another Mercedes man, will Ferrari poach Hannah? (Update)

Christian Horner says Red Bull’s newest recruit has signed a “statement of intent” after Red Bull’s latest poaching from Mercedes.

Phil Prew became the latest to swap Mercedes for Red Bull as part of what Helmut Marko estimated was 50 employees to do the same.

Horner confirmed the appointment and said hiring a man with a “phenomenal track record” such as Prew’s was a “statement of intent.”

“I’m delighted that Phil is going to be joining the team and he has a phenomenal track record,” Horner said, as reported by the Express. “He has been a key component of Mercedes’ recent success and, again, it is another statement of intent of where we want to be with the power unit.

“I think we have assembled great strength and depth within the business and it’s fantastic to see it really coming together and coming to life. Phil’s one of a few key signings recently that add to the very talented group of people that we have already assembled.”

Horner revealed in April that they spent £1 million as part of a High Court case with Mercedes, which he claimed was a sign that these losses meant more to Wolff than was being let on.

“I mean, we’ve spent a million quid in the High Court fighting for a couple of them,” Horner told the Telegraph. “You don’t do that for the ones you want to lose. That (£1million) is what it would have cost them (Mercedes).

“You’re not telling me you take out the head of mechanical design, the head of their energy recovery system, the head of manufacturing…that that doesn’t have an effect?”

Red Bull’s new Formula 1 engine project has pulled off another major coup in signing highly-respected engineer Phil Prew from Mercedes, Autosport reports.

Prew, who was most recently chief engineer at Mercedes’ engine division, has agreed to also join Red Bull to take a senior role within its powertrains project, joining  new technical director Ben Hodgkinson, who had been head of mechanical engineering at Mercedes’ High-Performance Powertrains since 2017 after a 20-year spell with the German manufacturer.

Speaking at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had hinted at fresh signings for its engine project.

“Powertrains is going from strength to strength,” he said. “We’ve taken on further appointments and recruits, which will be announced shortly and that’s exciting for the project.

“I think that things are really taking shape. You can see in Milton Keynes we’ve gone from being a few units on an industrial estate to being a technology campus. The investment by the group has been significant.”

He added: “The first engine is due to fire up shortly. It’s been a steep learning curve, but we’ve recruited some phenomenal talent.”

Ferrari needs Hannah Schmitz

The Hungarian GP – another race, yet more blown strategy calls.

Ferrari needs a new person calling pitstop and tire strategy during races.

However, as abuse is no longer allowed when we speak about F1, we’re forced to say Ferrari’s strategists are brilliant.

Meet Red Bull’s Hannah Schmitz – principal strategy engineer at Red Bull Racing and responsible for the brilliant calls regarding Max Verstappen’s pitstops.

Ferrari needs a Hannah Schmitz, but prying her away from Red Bull will require a large sum of money no doubt.