The Formula 1 break has brought with it numerous rumours surrounding Red Bull: from the departure of Gianpiero Lambiase, to uncertainty over Verstappen’s future, and the comparison between the team’s old and new leadership.
The team at the centre of this “forced” Formula 1 break – which could almost be described as a spring pause – is undoubtedly Red Bull. Everything began last week with the shocking news regarding Gianpiero Lambiase’s future. From 2028, he will no longer sit on the Austrian team’s pit wall, as he is set to move to Woking.
This news opened the door to many more rumours, ranging from paddock gossip to speculative driver market scenarios. Among all of them, the one that continues to echo – and will likely continue to do so – concerns the future of Max Verstappen. The question is whether his destiny will remain tied to Milton Keynes or even extend beyond Formula 1 altogether.
Red Bull between rumours and the driver market: a fragile balance
Lambiase’s move to McLaren has fuelled the common belief that the four-time world champion could follow him, also reinforced by statements made a few years ago in which he admitted he would like to work only with him. From there, questions have emerged about the future of the current Papaya drivers and who could eventually fill a potential seat left vacant by Verstappen.
But the story does not end there, especially as yesterday we reported Ferrari’s interest in Hannah Schmitz, currently Red Bull’s head of strategy. She is a key figure who has played a major role in delivering strong results for the team.
It is clear that the accumulation of all these rumours is fuelling questions about what is really happening inside the Austrian garage. Aside from Gianpiero Lambiase’s confirmed departure, everything else remains speculation – at times pure conjecture – but the general perception is that the long-built stability is starting to weaken.
Is this linked to the exit of historic figures such as Christian Horner and Helmut Marko? And consequently, to the arrival of Laurent Mekies? These are questions that only time will answer, but there is no doubt that Lambiase’s departure forces Red Bull to rebuild a puzzle designed to preserve its objectives, which at the moment do not appear to be easily within reach.
The current season is far from previous ones. The team comes from a period of absolute dominance in the ground-effect era, allowing Verstappen to win four world titles. Last year, despite a somewhat difficult start, the arrival of Mekies gave the Dutch driver the chance to recover and ultimately secure the drivers’ championship at the final race.
Red Bull 2026: technical struggles and new leadership under comparison
2026, however, is proving to be a tough challenge. The new regulations have put the team under pressure and left its lead driver struggling, with Verstappen repeatedly admitting he does not feel comfortable with the new cars. After all, Laurent Mekies himself, during the car launch in Detroit, had warned: “Be patient if we do not win immediately”.
The issue therefore shifts to a managerial level, and comparisons with his predecessor Christian Horner are inevitable. In particular, the comparison lies in the style of leadership: while Horner appeared as a political, strategic figure often involved in provocations and mind games, Mekies adopts a low-profile approach, focusing primarily on the team and improving it alongside all its members.
Speaking on Beyond The Grid, the official F1 podcast, Laurent Mekies was asked precisely about the stylistic differences between the two and how Horner’s leadership presence was clearly defined. However, the former Ferrari engineer stressed that the comparison should not be about style, but about results.
“I don’t think leadership style really matters. You find very different styles all across the pit lane and in any company.” According to him, what truly matters is something else: “What matters is that, as a leader, you take care of people, you put them at the centre of the project, and you give them the environment to express their talent. That is what counts.” He added that how this is done is secondary: “How you do it, what style you use, is not so important… in the end, results will tell the story.”
Red Bull between results and identity: which direction now?
Results matter, and this year’s results are not in line with a team that has dominated in recent seasons. In the first three races of last year, Verstappen scored a second place in Australia, a fourth in China, and a win in Japan. This year, by contrast, he finished sixth in Australia, retired in Shanghai, and ended eighth at the Japanese Grand Prix.
It is clear that Red Bull is going through a delicate phase. It is no longer the fixed reference point of Formula 1, but a system in transition. And when internal balance shifts before on-track results do, the risk is not only losing performance, but also losing identity. The next races will show whether this is a transition phase or the beginning of a completely new cycle yet to be built.
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