Max Verstappen Addresses Crucial Red Bull Changes After Key Exits

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has addressed crucial changes within his team.

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (NED) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has addressed crucial changes within his team, involving a restructuring of the management following the announced departures of senior team members this season. These changes have resulted in the promotion of his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, to the position of head of racing.

The changes arrive after Red Bull decided to elevate existing talent to senior roles after the exit of the team's chief technical officer Adrian Newey in May, followed by sporting director Jonathan Wheatley's departure announcement. Notably, despite taking over a senior role, the Italian-British engineer will continue to remain Verstappen's race engineer.

Under Lambiase's new role, Richard Wolverson, formerly a senior engineer of car engineering, has been appointed as head of racing operations. Senior strategy engineer Stephen Knowles has transitioned into the newly created role of head of sporting regulations, where he will oversee the team’s compliance with F1 regulations and act as the primary liaison with the governing body.

Speaking of the changes, Verstappen revealed that they were "logical" as the roles were now divided among several team members. He told the media:

“In itself, these are logical steps, with certain roles being divided among several people.”

When he was asked if he was aware of the changes being planned, he said:

“Of course I knew this was coming. 

“They explain to me what they are going to do, upon which I give my opinion about it.”

The Dutchman was then asked if Lambiase's added responsibilities were of concern to him. He said:

"No, that won't be the case. He was doing more than just his job as my engineer anyway. It's been well thought out and in the end, it just distributes the workload better. It's okay."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed the importance of structural changes to prepare for the challenges that lie ahead amid the recent departures. He told the media:

“We are in the midst of a period of significant change and development at Oracle Red Bull Racing, and in light of the challenges to come, we have made the decision to alter the structure of the race team.

“The appointments will serve to give us greater capacity across a number of crucial areas and ultimately will, I believe, make the team more competitive.

“For me, it is especially rewarding to have promoted people from within. We have a huge resource of exceptionally talented people at Oracle Red Bull Racing and I am delighted that we can give them the opportunity to shine in roles that were not previously open. It’s a step forward for the team as a whole.”