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Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff reveals some of his team’s employees will have to wait until the end of 2023 before they can start working for Red Bull.
Red Bull has been very busy luring Mercedes staff to their new engine operation – Red Bull Powertrains. Toto Wolff already revealed around 15 employees have agreed to jump ship.
However, the Austrian also reveals some of them will not be able to start work at Red Bull for a few years, due to clauses in their contracts.
“Some of them cannot to go the new company, Red Bull Powertrains, before the end of 2023 – so a long time,” Wolff Sky Deutschland.
Wolff also says most of the staff that has agreed to jump are “not performance people”, but actually “production people”.
The Austrian also warns Mercedes will not take the whole situation sitting down.
“We knew that Red Bull was taking this seriously, but so do we. Let’s see what we can think of.”
However, Mercedes’ team boss also praised Red Bull for taking on this huge project.
“I find it admirable that Red Bull is taking on that project, there is certainly a Mount Everest to climb.
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“Nothing has changed in HPP [Mercedes’ engine factory]. We have 900 employees, and probably we lose 10 or 15. It’s pretty normal and mostly manufacturing staff.
“So from our side, the game plan hasn’t changed. I think it’s good that we have another possible constructor that comes into the sport, whether it’s Red Bull or any other OEM that could be interested in taking over, and that’s overall positive.
“I don’t see any negativity there, any negative aspect in the situation.”
Wolff believes having another UK based F1 engine plant is good for young engineers.
“It opens up bottlenecks for younger engineers to come up. They have an opportunity now, and changing the organisation has always opportunities.
“Organisations are dynamic organs and not static. Sometimes you are being pushed in such situations, sometimes you take your own decisions.
“But overall, you can make it an opportunity rather than a risk,” concluded the Austrian.
