The decisive phase of Formula 1’s winter preparations begins this week at the Bahrain International Circuit. From 18 to 20 February, teams will complete their final three days of testing before the season-opening race in Australia. The priorities are now clear: stability, reliability and outright speed. Any team still grappling with fundamental issues is already at a disadvantage, while the frontrunners have largely moved on to long race simulations and fine-tuning.
However, Red Bull Racing’s second Bahrain test will begin with two notable absences, one temporary and one potentially far more significant.
Verstappen absent, Red Bull Racing loses senior staff member
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen will not be driving on the opening day. Instead, 21-year-old Parisian Isack Hadjar has been entrusted with full-day duties on 18 February. The team will revert to a more traditional split later in the week: Verstappen will drive for the whole day on 19 February, while Hadjar will drive in the morning and Verstappen in the afternoon on Friday.
Most rivals are sticking with the standard half-day rotation format, one driver in the morning, and the other for the afternoon. However, Red Bull’s altered plan has immediately raised eyebrows, especially as the team enters 2026 under growing competitive pressure.
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Red Bull Racing has lost its chief designer
However, more impactful than Verstappen’s one-day absence is a major departure behind the scenes.
Long-time chief designer Craig Skinner has left the team after 20 years, citing personal reasons. His departure signals the end of an era for Red Bull’s technical department.
Skinner joined the Milton Keynes outfit in 2006, having previously worked as a computational fluid dynamics specialist. He started at Red Bull as a CFD expert and quickly rose through the ranks. By 2009, he was head of the CFD department. He became deputy head of aerodynamics in 2014, before taking the lead in the aero department in 2018. Finally, in 2022, he was appointed chief designer.
In this position, he oversaw the development of the dominant 2023 car, which won 21 out of 22 races, 19 of them with Verstappen at the wheel. This was one of the most dominant seasons in the history of modern Formula 1.
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Red Bull confirmed his departure in an official statement
‘After 20 years with the team, Craig Skinner, our Chief Designer, will be leaving the Red Bull Technology Team. He has been an integral part of our team and its success, and we would like to thank him for his hard work and dedication. The entire Red Bull team wishes him all the best for the future.’
It remains unclear whether Skinner will continue working in Formula 1 elsewhere.
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Crucial test days are approaching before the Australia opener
With sweeping regulation changes looming and competition intensifying, stability is more important than ever. Several teams are expected to introduce new components in Bahrain in a final bid to improve performance before Melbourne.
Red Bull is under pressure to prove the car’s pace on track and manage a significant technical reshuffle off it. Losing a chief designer with two decades of institutional knowledge is no small matter.
The stopwatch will reveal part of the story this week. The rest may unfold over the course of the season.
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NEXT ARTICLE – Horner Linked to £2.5 Billion Alpine Takeover
Christian Horner is connected to the £2.5 billion takeover of Alpine – Former Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner is at the centre of growing speculation surrounding a potential £2.5 billion takeover of Alpine, with discussions ongoing with investment firm MSP Sports Capital.
The 52-year-old Briton is reportedly considering a return to Formula 1 in a different capacity, not as an employee, but as a controlling stakeholder. If the deal materialises, it would be one of the most significant shifts in ownership in the history of modern F1 and could reshape Alpine’s long-term future.
Talks with Existing Shareholders
Back in January, Alpine confirmed that Horner was part of a group interested in acquiring the 24 per cent stake currently held by Otro Capital. The remaining 76 per cent is owned by parent company Renault Group.
At the time, Alpine clarified that discussions were taking place directly with shareholders rather than with the team management.
“All approaches or discussions are with the existing shareholders, Otro Capital (24%) and Renault Group (76%), and not directly with Flavio Briatore or the team,” read the statement.
According to Sky News, the potential deal would value Alpine at between $2 billion and $2.5 billion. This estimate is similar to Forbes’s most recent valuation, which put the Enstone-based outfit at around $2.45 billion, highlighting just how much Formula 1 team values have increased in recent…CONTINUE READING
Thiago Treze is a Brazilian motorsport writer at TJ13 with a background in sports journalism and broadcast media, alongside an academic foundation in engineering with a focus on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). This combination of technical knowledge and editorial experience allows Thiago to approach Formula 1 from both a performance and narrative perspective.
At TJ13, Treze covers driver performance, career developments, and key storylines across the Formula 1 grid, while also analysing the technical factors that influence competitiveness. This includes aerodynamic development trends, simulation-driven design approaches, and the engineering decisions that shape race weekend outcomes.
His reporting bridges the gap between human performance and machine development, helping readers understand how driver execution and technical innovation interact in modern Formula 1. Coverage often connects on-track events with the underlying engineering philosophies that define each team’s approach.
With a global perspective shaped by both journalism and technical study, Thiago also focuses on Formula 1’s international reach and the different ways the sport is experienced across regions.
Treze has a particular interest in how Computational Fluid Dynamics and aerodynamic modelling contribute to car performance, offering accessible explanations of complex technical concepts within Formula 1.
