Farewell to the pillars of the ‘old’ Red Bull
The ‘exodus’ that has characterized the Red Bull team in the last two years, with an impressive ‘brain drain’ of people who decided to leave Milton Keynes and join elsewhere, continues and really seems to be one of the main reasons for the evident drop in performance experienced by the Austro-English team after the triumphant march of 2023, in which the team won all the Grands Prix except one. The latest big name, who first said goodbye to Red Bull and has now officially started wearing a rival’s colors, is Michael Manning.
Manning’s farewell to Red Bull actually dates back to the end of last season, but his new adventure only started a few days ago. Graduated from Munster Technological University, Manning had worked in F1 for Jordan, Force India, and Lotus before joining the Milton Keynes factory in January 2011. In 15 years of career at Red Bull, he became Senior Trackside Control Engineer, even taking on the role of responsible for Max Verstappen’s starts. And who knows if his departure is not also related to the considerable difficulties Red Bull and #3 himself are having this year at the moment the lights go out.
A new beginning
Since July, however, Manning has officially started his new professional adventure, after six months of gardening leave. With a post published on LinkedIn, he announced the start of his work at Williams, with the role of Chief Engineer – Trackside Engineering. An important career step that will allow him to try to contribute to the revival of the historic F1 team which, however, took a definite step back in terms of performance this year compared to the excellent results achieved in 2025.
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“I am pleased to announce that I have taken on a new challenge as Chief Engineer of the Atlassian Williams F1 Team – Manning wrote – Williams’ engineering tradition is among the most prestigious in Formula 1. With nine Constructors’ World Championships and seven drivers’ titles to its name, it remains one of the truly iconic teams in this sport. However, it was the ambition for the future that attracted me to this role. At Grove there is a great desire to return to the top of the starting grid, and I look forward to ensuring that the excellent work done in the factory translates into flawless execution on track. Joining the team at such a significant moment in its journey, especially with Williams’ 50th anniversary approaching, makes this opportunity even more meaningful. It is truly a special moment to be able to work again alongside Carlos and Alex, with whom I have already collaborated in the past at the start of our careers. I look forward to starting and contributing to the next chapter of this legendary team“.
