Jolyon Palmer: “Red Bull empire is collapsing, Max Verstappen exit now looks inevitable”. Jolyon Palmer claims that Giampiero Lambiase’s departure from Red Bull is only the “tip of the iceberg”.

The most significant news confirmed so far during this long Formula 1 spring break has undoubtedly been the future departure of Giampiero Lambiase from 0. The long-time race engineer, who has acted as Max Verstappen’s trusted voice on the pit wall for more than a decade, will join McLaren “no later than 2028”, marking the end of one of the most successful driver-engineer partnerships in modern F1.

Lambiase and Verstappen built a relationship that went far beyond the typical driver-engineer dynamic, becoming a crucial part of Red Bull’s recent dominance. As expected, the announcement has triggered widespread reactions across the Formula 1 paddock, especially regarding what this change could mean for Verstappen’s future at the team.

The four-time World Champion continues to flirt with the idea of leaving Formula 1 altogether, frustrated by the new technical regulations and the lack of competitiveness of his current Red Bull car. In the past, he has also made no secret of the fact that he struggles to imagine his future in the sport without Lambiase by his side.

According to former Formula 1 driver and current analyst Jolyon Palmer, speaking on the official F1 podcast F1 Nation, Lambiase’s exit is only “the tip of the iceberg” of a much deeper internal decline within the Milton Keynes-based squad, and the inevitable consequence of this situation could be Verstappen’s departure as well.

A decision described as “inevitable”

“Red Bull is not competitive, and the path back to competitiveness is certainly not straightforward when you consider how much personnel has already left,” said Palmer on the latest episode of F1 Nation, also referencing the high-profile departures of Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, Adrian Newey, Rob Marshall and Jonathan Wheatley, among others.

“For me, Lambiase is a key figure; in a way, he acts as a bridge between the driver and the team. I see this as another reason why Max is not happy within the team. Simply put, for many reasons, I don’t see how he can stay long-term, probably beyond the end of this year, unless they have a clear plan and show real signs of progress.”

Palmer continued with a metaphor to describe the current situation at Red Bull:

“The whole house has changed. The building is still the same, but all the furniture is gone. He still shows up at Milton Keynes, but he is greeting different people in every department. On top of that, he is not fighting for the championship, and he does not enjoy driving these cars. To me, it feels inevitable that he will leave.”

“Others should see this situation as the collapse of an empire,” the former British driver concluded. “This is a great team, with all the success it has achieved, the ruthlessness with which it pursued that success, and the way it maximised its potential in every area. Now everyone is leaving.”

“We are talking about Lambiase, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. If you look at all the people who have left, it has been a difficult period for Red Bull. I wondered whether things might stabilise a bit with Mekies at the helm, and whether the aftermath of Christian Horner’s departure would calm down, but when you see so many big names leaving, it probably means it is not as attractive for people to join anymore.”