Red Bull chief designer Craig Skinner to leave team
Red Bull chief designer Craig Skinner is set to leave the team.
Red Bull Racing’s chief designer is leaving the team on the eve of F1’s 2026 regulation reset.
Craig Skinner is set to depart the Milton Keynes organisation, after heading its design team for the past four years.
Key RB19 architect Craig Skinner departs Milton Keynes organisation
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PlanetF1.com understands Skinner’s departure is one of his own choosing, bringing to a close a long stint with Red Bull.
He joined the organisation in 2006 and initially worked as a CFD engineer.
In 2018, he was appointed deputy head of aerodynamics before rising to chief designer in 2022. His contribution to the design of the all-conquering RB19 was significant.
“After 20 years with the team, Craig Skinner, our Chief Designer, will be leaving the Red Bull Technology team,” said Red Bull in a statement.
“Craig has been an integral part of our team and its success, and we would like to thank him for his hard work and commitment.
“The whole Red Bull team wishes him all the best for the future.”
Red Bull has undergone a significant change over the past 12 months.
Laurent Mekies now heads the operation, having taken over from Christian Horner in the days following the 2025 British Grand Prix.
At the end of the F1 2025 season, Dr Helmut Marko announced he would depart the team too – officially by choice, but the implication was that he was eased out the door.
Earlier this month, PlanetF1.com revealed Red Bull undertook further restructuring, with four staff axed, including Alice Hedworth, who’d worked as Sergio Perez’s press officer before supporting Mekies through the early months of his tenure.
It amounts to what is, in many respects, an all-new operation, with new management and staff in key positions.
That has coincided with the introduction of the Red Bull Powertrains engine for F1 2026, which has impressed in its early running in both Barcelona and Bahrain.
More on Red Bull
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Red Bull has emerged as something of a dark horse, with some suggesting the squad could hold the upper hand – at least when it comes to energy deployment from its power unit.
That doesn’t appear to play out in the data, though Red Bull does look firmly among the top four teams, with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar again expected to feature towards the front of the F1 grid.
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