Red Bull have struck an important blow with the arrival of Ben Hodgkinson. The man who played an important role in the development of the engine at Mercedes, will make the switch to Red Bull in 2022, and that does cause some tension.
The 2021 Formula One season has only just begun, but with Hodgkinson’s move, Red Bull Racing have dealt the first blow. In a year like this, it’s all about sticking together as a team, and there will be internal problems at Mercedes since news of Hodgkinson’s departure came out.
Not only is Hodgkinson leaving the team, but it also emerged earlier that he had spoken to some colleagues to join him at Red Bull. Of course, this causes a lot of commotion at Mercedes, because they don’t know which of their employees would like to join them.
For Red Bull this is an important move on two fronts. On the one hand it brings in knowledge about Mercedes’ engine and someone who is capable of leading a project towards an own engine for 2025. On the other hand, this move also ensures that the major competitor is disrupted.
Where Mercedes has been very quiet in recent years and every departure was dealt with internally, this is a huge blow. After seven world titles, a key member of staff suddenly opts for the big rival, and apparently staff members within the organisation have also been told to leave. It’s time for Toto Wolff to start putting out those fires.
In the meantime, according to Motorsport.it, Mercedes is doing everything possible to postpone Hodgkinson’s departure as long as possible. Because this would involve a key pawn in the organization, Mercedes is demanding the longest departure before the new position at Red Bull can be started. Mercedes would thus try to have Hodgkinson make the switch to Red Bull only at the end of 2022.
