Looking at the past, present, and future
In recent months, Red Bull has faced several senior-level departures, but none of this seems to faze Max Verstappen. The exodus of key personnel began last year when Rob Marshall, who had served as Chief Designer for 17 years, was the first to pack his bags and leave Milton Keynes.
The second major departure occurred a year later when Adrian Newey, the mastermind behind Red Bull’s dominance in Formula 1 over the last two decades, decided to step away from the team in early May and start a new chapter at Aston Martin under the leadership of Lawrence Stroll.
Not long after, Jonathan Wheatley, the former sporting director, also left to become the team principal at Audi starting in 2025, while Will Courtenay joined McLaren, following in Marshall’s footsteps.
“As I’ve always said, I would’ve preferred if everyone stayed,” Max Verstappen admitted to motorsport.com, “but in the end, you can’t stop people.”
“If you force them to stay when they no longer want to be here, if they’re disappointed or not fully getting what they want, then maybe it’s better for them to accept a new challenge elsewhere, even though it would’ve been better for the team if everything had remained as it was.” – the three-time Formula 1 world champion pointed out.
“This is something that always happens with successful teams – other teams start picking them apart. You see it in every sport. Some people get such huge offers from other teams, and that plays a role too.”
However, not everyone has jumped ship. Other key figures, like Gianpiero Lambiase, Ben Waterhouse, and Pierre Wachè – who has gained even more prominence after Adrian Newey’s departure – have chosen to stay with Red Bull.
“Pierre and I talk a lot,” Max Verstappen added, discussing his relationship with the Frenchman. “Whenever I’m at the factory, I always meet with him. He’s very motivated, and I like being involved. Things are working well, but the results haven’t been what we wanted. It’s up to us to turn things around as a team.”
“I trust that the people here know what they’re doing. They’ve already proven that. Other teams have very capable people too, but I don’t think that’s the issue right now. We just went down the wrong path, so it was time to hit the reset button and head in a new direction.”
Finally, the Dutchman concluded: “In the end, it’s not just two or three people that make the difference. It’s the whole team that counts. Everyone needs to contribute and work well within their role. That’s the most important thing.”
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