Audi’s Formula 1 operation is picking up serious pace, and its latest signing has turned heads across the paddock. The German manufacturer has recruited Max Verstappen’s number one mechanic, Matt Caller, for a key position in its 2026 season campaign.
With the countdown to its official F1 debut well underway, Audi has been rapidly expanding its technical and racing staff. The goal is simple: to arrive ready to fight. The latest addition to its growing lineup comes from the very top of Red Bull Racing’s championship-winning setup.
Recent months have already seen two major Ferrari figures join Audi’s project: Wolf Zimmermann, who will head up its 2026 power unit program, and Lars Schmidt, Ferrari’s lead engineer for internal combustion engine performance development. Both men previously worked closely with Audi COO Mattia Binotto during his time leading Ferrari, and they’ll be reunited once their current contracts conclude.
But Audi’s ambitions don’t stop with the engine department. The team has been busy strengthening its trackside structure too, and that’s where Caller’s arrival comes in.
Sources have confirmed that the Briton, who has been a cornerstone of Verstappen’s crew, will depart Red Bull at the end of this season. Caller joined the Milton Keynes outfit in 2015 as a number two mechanic before stepping up to the number one role in August 2022. His meticulous work and calm under pressure have helped guide Verstappen to multiple world titles.
Caller’s move also reunites him with Jonathan Wheatley, Red Bull’s former sporting director and now Audi’s team principal. Wheatley has been instrumental in assembling the staff and systems needed to ensure Audi’s F1 entry hits the ground running.
Speaking at the recent 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Wheatley expressed his satisfaction with the progress made since he took charge of the Sauber-run Audi squad in April, while hinting at even bigger shifts on the horizon.
“The whole project is gaining in momentum,” Wheatley said. “I’m working on organisational structures. We’re looking at the right time to implement those for next year, when we will do some, I think, significant, but not ruthless, changes to our structure.”
Neither Red Bull nor Audi has officially commented on Caller’s departure, but insiders suggest he’ll remain at Red Bull through the end of 2025 before moving to a senior position at Audi as chief mechanic.
That role is currently held by Lee Stevenson, another familiar name from Red Bull’s past. Stevenson, who spent 18 years with the team after joining in 2006, became chief mechanic in 2023 before heading to Sauber in early 2024. He’s now expected to move up to a higher management role within the new Audi setup.
It’s another bold statement of intent from Audi, which is clearly determined to build a team capable of challenging from the outset. By blending Red Bull’s race-winning expertise with Ferrari’s engineering muscle, the Ingolstadt brand is setting the stage for one of the most intriguing F1 debuts in decades.
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