'It was looking a bit touch-and-go': Ted Kravitz relieved for Red Bull chief who's just saved his job

Red Bull are turning their 2025 Formula 1 season around. It seemed for most of the season that they were headed for fourth place in the standings, their worst finish for 10 years.

But Max Verstappen has been the top points scorer since F1 returned from the summer break (68). Yuki Tsunoda has also started to contribute, delivering a season-best P6 in Azerbaijan.

Verstappen’s back-to-back victories have even led some to believe he can challenge the two McLaren drivers for the title. While that remains unrealistic, the very fact that the conversation is taking place highlights Red Bull’s progress.

Indeed, it was only last month that Verstappen was suggesting he wouldn’t win another race this year. Now he’s won two in a row for the first time since the summer of last year, and Red Bull are only 18 points away from second – a position that’s attainable if Tsunoda has indeed made a breakthrough.

Ted Kravitz thinks Pierre Wache has ended doubt over his Red Bull future

Red Bull’s upswing comes a couple of months after 20-year team boss Christian Horner was sacked. Laurent Mekies has been keen to eschew credit.

On one level, Mekies has changed their methods, relying more on driver feedback and less on data. But equally, Horner signed off on the floor upgrade that has made the RB21 a McLaren-beater at the last two races.

This upgrade has been a triumph for Pierre Wache and his technical department. Speaking on Sky Sports’ F1 Show podcast, Ted Kravitz said Wache was under significant pressure.

But he’s now banished the doubts over his future by delivering the upgrade package the team have been craving for over a year.

“I think he’s been… justified is maybe the wrong word, but vindicated in sorting out this car,” said Kravitz. “I think we should have a positive word to say about Pierre Wache, the Red Bull technical director, and his troops.

“It was looking a bit touch-and-go as to whether he was going to be able to a) turn the car around and b) if not, hold onto his job. Not only has he done the first, but that means he’s very much done the second.

“I’ve got to say well done to him, because there must be a lot of pressure off him personally. They had that dip – they were good at the beginning of the year, they were not good in the middle of the year, now they’re good again.

“I think he found the pressure of his job a little bit difficult, as anybody would, and I think it’s good, personally for him, that he’s managed to turn it round.”

Max Verstappen’s camp were the source of Pierre Wache pressure

Even before Horner was sacked, a report suggested paddock insiders were questioning Wache. They weren’t sure if he could figure out what was going wrong at Red Bull.

Wache was left ‘vulnerable’ by Horner’s exit because he’d lost his ‘biggest supporter’. There were suggestions that Verstappen’s camp weren’t satisfied with his performance.

Verstappen was losing faith in Wache, but the 50-year-old may now have redeemed himself. Had Red Bull felt compelled to make a change, the timing could have compromised them.

Wache has been developing Red Bull’s 2026 car in addition to working on the RB21. If another engineer had picked up the pieces of his concept, there could have been a damaging disconnect.