Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies insists the exit of key personnel will not accelerate Max Verstappen’s departure from the team.
It was announced a fortnight ago that Verstappen’s long-term race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will join McLaren, not before 2028, in the latest of a long line of Red Bull staff who have left the team in the last few years.
The future of Verstappen himself, despite his £50m-a-year contract until the end of 2028, has been the subject of much debate. The Dutchman has made no bones in voicing his disapproval of F1’s new regulations, describing the 2026 cars as “anti-racing” and “like Formula E on steroids.”
Furthermore, after the last race in Japan which left him a distant ninth in the world championship, Verstappen admitted he is considering quitting Formula 1 at the end of the season. However, despite the new rules and the long list of Red Bull departures, Mekies insists Verstappen is “living and breathing the team” as F1 returns after an enforced spring break with the Miami Grand Prix this weekend.
“Absolutely not,” said Mekies, when asked if Lambiase’s departure, alongside other exits, would hasten his own star driver’s departure. “That’s my direct answer to you.
“Obviously, we speak with Max every day. And Max knows motorsport upside-down. He’s living and breathing this team.
“The team has been extremely successful and you can’t promote everyone. And some people make some decisions. In the big scheme of things, Max also knows [this] very well, it represents such a tiny part, which we accept you guys [media] focus on, compared to the reality.”
It is understood that Verstappen can trigger an exit from his contract if he is outside the top two in the championship standings by the summer break. Currently, with Red Bull struggling amid their new powertrain partnership with Ford, the four-time world champion trails second-placed George Russell by 51 points.
Meanwhile, Lambiase has taken up what is thought to be a lucrative offer at McLaren to work alongside team principal Andrea Stella as chief racing officer from 2028 onwards.
As well as the British-Italian engineer, in the last two years Red Bull have lost the likes of: star designer Adrian Newey, long-term adviser Helmut Marko, chief designer Craig Skinner, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, strategy guru Will Courtenay and team principal Christian Horner, who was sacked last summer.
“I don’t think we should be defensive about the losing talents aspect,” Mekies added. “I think it’s something that has been there for three, four, five years. That big names have been leaving. It’s facts. And you guys are right to highlight it.
“But I think one thing that is true is that as a management team, our No 1 priority is to make sure that we develop and create the best working environment, so that our people have the best conditions to want to stay and to want the job.
“Does it come in a linear, smooth way? No. Super happy for GP [Lambiase]. You know, he has an amazing opportunity. He has been with us for 10 years. He’s going to be with us for the next two years. Fair enough. But the global context is, it’s a team that creates talent.”
Red Bull will be looking to make progress this weekend at the Miami Grand Prix, which will also host the second sprint race of the season.