F1 transfers: The biggest confirmed moves from across the F1 paddock
Check out all the biggest completed moves from the F1 paddock as Red Bull swing the axe on Nyck de Vries and bag a couple of key recruits behind the scenes.
Elsewhere, McLaren have been able to poach a big cog from the incredibly successful Red Bull machine and Audi snap up a simulator driver to power their F1 2026 plans.
Scroll down for the latest done deals in F1…
Daniel Ricciardo [Red Bull > AlphaTauri]
11/07/2023
Daniel Ricciardo’s hiatus from F1 racing lasted all of 10 races as Red Bull decided in usual cut-throat fashion to dispense of Nyck de Vries’ services as anAlphaTauri driver.
The Aussie goes from a Red Bull reserve and simulator driver to Yuki Tsunoda’s new team-mate, with the team describing the move as a ‘loan’ until the end of the season.
There is speculation from some quarters that Red Bull will use this loan spell to evaluate Ricciardo not only against Tsunoda, but also against Sergio Perez who is under pressure in the senior team.
Nyck de Vries [AlphaTauri > released]
11/07/2023
After such a promising F1 debut as a last minute stand-in for Williams at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, De Vries’ F1 career is over just 10 races later after Red Bull decided to axe the Dutchman even before the scheduled summer break in August.
In Red Bull’s eyes, De Vries was not making the necessary improvements expected from a driver who has plenty of top-level driving experience at the age of 28.
2020 - 21公式E世界冠军是宽ly tipped to re-join the all-electric series next season.
Neel Jani [Free agent > Audi F1]
22/06/2023
Ahead of their hotly-anticipated arrival on the F1 grid in 2026, Audi F1 added Le Mans winner Neel Jani to their ranks as asimulator driverto help the German manufacturer specifically with their F1 engine development programme.
Previously involved in the world of F1 as a reserve with the team formerly known as Toro Rosso, the Swiss driver was naturally over the moon to join the German marque.
“I am delighted to accompany Audi on their way into Formula 1,” Neel said.
“It is both an honour and a great responsibility to be involved in a project of this magnitude at an early stage.
“I am sure that with my experience from Formula 1 and LMP projects I can forge good links between theory and practice.”
詹姆斯关键>阿尔法(自由球员Romeo]
07/06/2023
Although James Key has joined Alfa Romeo as their newtechnical director,this move is very much with Audi F1 in mind as the German marque prepares to enter the sport in 2026.
Key has a wealth of experience having first joined F1 all the way back in 1998 and has since held very prominent roles at the likes of Toro Rosso and McLaren, who terminated his contract two months prior to this appointment.
Key also has previous knowledge of the Sauber set-up having worked there from 2010 and 2012 and will be working very closely with another former McLaren man in the form of Andreas Seidl as they spearhead Audi’s F1 charge.
Rob Marshall [Red Bull > McLaren]
30/05/2023
McLaren have landed a huge coup by signing long-serving Red Bull man Rob Marshall as their newtechnical director of engineering and design.
Marshall had been at Red Bull since 2006 and worked his way up to chief engineering officer with the team, helping tech guru Adrian Newey bring his incredible designs to life.
While McLaren announced Marshall at the end of June 2023, he will not actually start his new role at Woking until January 1, 2024.
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Peter Bayer [Free agent > AlphaTauri]
26/04/2023
Peter Bayer was part of a double AlphaTauri announcement after it was confirmed long-serving team boss Franz Tost would be stepping down at the end of the F1 2023 season and retiring from the sport.
Red Bull are eager to make some big changes at their junior team after years of under-performance and Bayer will help oversee a new era at the team that will undergo a brand makeover during the winter.
Bayer, who is vastly experienced in the world of motorsport and had been F1 executive director and FIA secretary general in his most recent role, will be the newCEO.
Laurent Mekies [Ferrari > AlphaTauri]
26/04/2023
Laurent Mekies formed part of a double AlphaTauri announcement following the confirmation of Franz Tost’s imminent exit, with the Red Bull junior team moving quickly to unveil Ferrari’s race director Mekies as their newteam principalin 2024.
Red Bull and Ferrari were involved in a long tug-of-war over Mekies’ services and, even when the move was officially announced, it was soon followed by criticism from Ferrari who believe their counterparts were a little too quick in making the information public and official.
However, despite the disagreements, the move will be going ahead.
Franz Tost [AlphaTauri > Retirement]
26/04/2023
Franz Tost will lose the distinction of being the second longest-serving team boss on the F1 grid after announcing that he will retire at the end of the F1 2023 campaign.
Tost, who turned 67 at the start of the year, has played a huge part in developing some of the biggest names on the F1 grid in the modern era including Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz Jr, Pierre Gasly and many more.
You can read our full interview with Franz Tostright here.
Mike Elliott [Mercedes job swap]
21/04/2023
With Mercedes continuing in their struggle to return towards the top of the F1 summit and challenge Red Bull for World Championship titles, the Silver Arrows opted to make some changes to their staff structure in the hope that, in time, it will contribute to long-term success.
After his own personal investigation, Elliott came to the conclusion that his skillset was not best suited to the technical director role that he originally took over back in 2021.
Instead, he agreed to move to thechief technical officerrole in order for James Allison to re-take his former job as technical director.
James Allison [Mercedes job swap]
21/04/2023
James Allison was drafted back into a more hands-on and visible role within the Mercedes F1 set-up and tasked with helping the Silver Arrows restore their former glory years.
Allison switched from technical director to chief technical officer but is now back in his former role as a result of internal investigation into the Mercedes structure.
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