Red Bull faces new departures from Verstappen's team.

      "Only Lambiase remains now"

      Max Verstappen's trusted engineering team has suffered another significant loss, as reported by De Telegraaf and De Limburger, which states that three additional members are leaving Red Bull. This leaves only race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, who was alongside the four-time world champion on the podium in Las Vegas, for the 2026 season.

      According to the report, control systems engineer Michael Manning, performance engineer Tom Hart, and engine engineer David Mart have all communicated their departures to the team. Mart will be heading to Audi, where he will join former Red Bull staff members Jonathan Wheatley, Lee Stevenson, and soon Matt Caller. Hart has accepted a senior position at Williams, a development described as unexpected internally. Only Lambiase remains from Verstappen's original four-person core team.

      Red Bull has already experienced the loss of Adrian Newey, Christian Horner, and Wheatley, while strategist Will Courtenay is moving to McLaren, along with several senior communications staff members who have left. The team will need to reconstruct Verstappen's entire support framework ahead of the 2026 transition, which De Telegraaf claims is currently underway.

      In a conversation with Viaplay, Ford motorsport chief Mark Rushbrook expressed his happiness that Verstappen will be staying on for Red Bull-Ford's inaugural full F1 engine, adding that he would "love to see Max in a Ford" for GT racing starting in 2026. Rushbrook mentioned that the four-time world champion made a strong impression on him right away. "We already recognized him as an exceptional driver, but what he accomplishes beyond the car is equally remarkable.

      "Max is a genuine racer, no matter what he drives. We are very pleased that he intends to continue with Red Bull, and we are eagerly anticipating our partnership."