Lando Norris topped the time sheets in FP2

McLaren storms above Red Bull after key man poached: 'His name's all over it'

18:59, 23 Jul

Updated: 20:01, 23 Jul

byNorberto Mujica

McLaren have undergone a rather holistic transformation that has seen them go from the back of the grid to the very top, and according to former Red Bull man, Dan Fallows, is due to a former colleague of his.

Rob Marshall left Red Bull in May 2023 to seek pastures new at McLaren, where he started work in January 2024. The Woking-based team's uprise started in 2023 following an upgrade package implemented in Austria.

However, since Marshall's arrival the upward trend that has marked the papaya team's last season and half has intensified, with McLaren going from being an odd race-winner since the Miami Grand Prix, to the benchmark since the last third of 2024. GPblog spoke to the British designer for an interview, which you can read here.

Marshall has played a key role in McLaren's turn in form'

Speaking on James Allen's podcast, Fallows praised his former colleague at Red Bull Racing as a 'lovely chap.'

"We called him Uncle Rob," the Aston Martin ousted technical director said.

"I think that is probably part of his impact in many ways. He's a good person to pull people together. He's got no artifice or doesn't play politics."

Since Marshall's departure, as well as Adrian Newey's, Red Bull began to lose their way, and Fallows' insight might reveal why.

"Sometimes, particularly with this regulation set, where it's very important to be able to link up aerodynamics and the vehicle dynamics side of things – it's very important to get the suspension working with the aero in the right way."

According to the former Aston Martin man, Marshall is someone who can help with just 'bridging the gap' between both areas.

'Some of the McLaren upgrades have Marshall's name written all over them'

Marshall's craft, according to Fallows, can reach bigger territories than the ones outlined by his Chief Designer role.

"He's a great innovator," he added. "So if they have particular problems, particularly on the mechanical side, he's somebody who's very good at coming up with creative solutions for that."

"I think we've seen some interesting innovations from them on the suspension, for example. And I'm not saying it was necessarily him, but it's certainly got his name all over it," said the aerodynamicist.

'Red Bull lost someone the team could to'

The internal crisis that Red Bull has been under is lost on no one, with the team undergoing a rather violent reshuffle that saw the departures of Marshall, Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, and more recently Christian Horner, with Head of Strategy Will Courtenay poised to take his leave mid 2026 as well, also McLaren bound.

Fallows believes that Marshall's strength also shines in teams who are 'under a lot of stress', a category Red Bull could definitely fit into at the moment.

"I think he's able to do that and also able just to be that kind of figurehead, somebody to go and talk to. It's very useful in a team that particularly is under a lot of stress. I think he probably has had an impact."