F1 News: Red Bull designer turned McLaren from a loser to a winner

The McLaren F1 poached former Red Bull Engineer Rob Marshall, and he has been instrumental in turning the Woking team from an embarrassment to now the fastest team in F1.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Marshall joined McLaren as the organization’s technical director in January of this year. It took a few months for Marshall to implement his stolen Red Bull knowledge/design ideas on the McLaren car, but by the Miami race in early May, the McLaren car was transformed from a wanker-mobile to a rocket ship.

McClaren Principal Andrea Stella said. “I have to say that, working with him Rob, if anything, we have been impressed even more than we expected.”

Stella suggested that Team McLaren was awestruck by Rob Marshall’s experience and knowledge. “Rob came with a wealth of experience, knowledge from a technical point of view, with a reputation from this point of view,” he said. “Because of these qualities, like the knowledge of how you design a car, especially from a car layout point of view,” the McLaren principal added.

Oscar Piastri, driver, and Rob Marshall – Technical Director. Photo courtesy of McLaren F1 team

“This is very important for 2025, and this will be very important for 2026 like, I’m sitting next to Rob here, and while I sit next to him, I see him working on the screen,” he added. “I said like, ‘It was a good idea to get Rob, ‘because he’s doing all the work in terms of layout for’ 25, ’26 and we did miss this kind of role at McLaren before,” Stella concluded.

“In addition to that, Rob brings fantastic human qualities, a very positive person. Everyone enjoys working with him. He’s full of energy,” Stella said.

The McLaren team won multiple Grand Prix events in 2024 and secured their first Constructors’ title since 1998 in Abu Dhabi. They are favored to win again in 2025 because of the Red Bull knowledge Marshall brought to McLaren.

Rob’s arrival also coincided with several key poached hires in the past year.

Perhaps the Woking team’s motto should be, If you can’t beat them, poach their best people.