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Audi, which will officially enter F1 in 2026 via its acquisition of the Stake Sauber F1 team, has reportedly poached Max Verstappen's lead mechanic, Matt Caller. He has been with Red Bull for over 10 years and has been serving as the four-time F1 champion's lead mechanic for over three years.
The Race has reported that the 2025 season will be Caller's last with Red Bull before he jumps to Audi in 2026 in a much senior role as chief mechanic. He becomes Audi's second big poaching from the Milton Keynes outfit, with former Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley having joined Sauber as its Team Principal in August 2024. Wheatley was with Red Bull for nearly 19 years before he made the move.
Both he and Matt Caller were integral parts of Max Verstappen's run to four F1 drivers' championships. Heading into 2026, Red Bull is undergoing a major change in management, with Laurent Mekies already having replaced axed Christian Horner as Team Principal in July.
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As for Audi, Matt Caller's signing is part of the team's significant restructuring, which began in 2024, with former Ferrari Team Principal Mattio Binotto becoming its Chief Operating and Technical Officer. The team has also recruited senior Ferrari leaders, including 2026 power unit project leader Wolf Zimmermann and its lead engineer of performance development of its ICE, Lars Schmidt.
The German manufacturer is set to take over Sauber next year onwards with Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto as its two drivers.
Max Verstappen's chief mechanic Matt Caller on the Red Bull driver's 'misinterpreted' image in F1
Max Verstappen's lead mechanic, Matt Caller, a soon-to-be Audi personnel, shared how the Dutchman is "misinterpreted" as an "angry" or "demanding" driver in F1. In an interview in mid-September, Caller touched upon the great rapport Verstappen shares with his Red Bull team and how they remain united on the shared goal of winning.
When asked about the F1 champ's persona on the BBC's Inside Track podcast on YouTube, he said [25:05 onwards]:
"He's got a hell of a sense of humor. I think a lot of people said it... but he's so misinterpreted across social media and F1's audience. I think there is this perception of him that (he's) sort of demanding and angry, but he couldn't be any further from that. He's the most laid-back, friendly, funny, you know, sort of personal guy."
"He knows what he wants to do - he wants to win, and so do we. So there's a sort of mutual respect there. Like, we're going to work really bloody hard to give you the race car that you want, and you're going to go out there and get us race wins. Outside of that, you can chat about anything. He's genuinely incredibly funny, witty, smart, switched on. So, yeah, he's a nice guy to work with," the Red Bull mechanic added.
After two consecutive wins at the Italian GP and the Azerbaijan GP, Max Verstappen is back in the mix for the 2025 driver's championship, which could be his fifth F1 title. He heads into the Singapore GP with a 69-point gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri. Lando Norris sits between the two, 44 points ahead of the Red Bull driver.
