‘He can pick’: Verstappen defection rumour, image signals end of Red Bull empire
An image of Max Verstappen’s right-hand man has sparked rumours about Red Bull as F1’s rumour mill went into overdrive.
Max Verstappen could be about to lose his right-hand man at Red Bull amid growing speculation the four-time world champion’s days at the team are numbered.
Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix early on Monday (AEDT) to come within two points of Lando Norris and winning a fifth world title, which would have been extraordinary given he trailed by 104 points midway through the season.
The Dutchman showed he is still the best driver in F1, finishing on the podium in the last 10 races of the season and recording eight victories, one more than Norris and Oscar Piastri.
As Norris celebrated his maiden world title, Verstappen didn’t seem devastated to have missed out on a fifth consecutive championship, instead congratulating Norris and thanking Red Bull for their efforts in a rollercoaster year.
“Don’t be too disappointed, I’m definitely not disappointed,” said Verstappen, who was always an outsider in the title fight until the last weeks of the season.
“I’m really proud of everyone. We never give up.”
His race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, looked devastated on the pit wall — he held his head in his hands and appeared to be crying, gutted he couldn’t help Verstappen pull off an all-time miracle comeback.
Lambiase, known as ‘GP’, has been the calming voice in Verstappen’s ears ever since his early days in F1 as a teenager. But could the all conquering duo have completed their final F1 race together?
Motorsport.com reports there are questions over what Lambiase’s role at the team will be in 2026 after the engineer, who is also Red Bull’s Head of Racing, missed several races earlier this year due to personal circumstances.
Lambiase’s emotional reaction on the pit wall could suggest he may be stepping down as race engineer and continuing on at Red Bull in a senior trackside role.
“It’s been an emotional year. Forget this year’s results, and I don’t want to go into too much detail, but it’s been tough. I’m especially happy to be working with someone so passionate,” Verstappen said of Lambiase after the race.
“Of course, he’s my race engineer, but I primarily see him as my friend. We’ve been through so many emotional things together and delivered fantastic performances. I know he was a bit emotional after the finish.
“So I’m looking forward to leaving this press conference and talking to him, because it hasn’t been easy for him.
“I’m proud to be working with such a good person. A true example of someone who never gave up this season, even in difficult times.”
It has been a rollercoaster year for Red Bull, who looked completely out of the championship battle when McLaren shot out of the blocks in the first half of the season.
Team principal Christian Horner was sacked mid-season and replaced by Laurent Mekies, a year after car designer Adrian Newey left Red Bull to join Aston Martin, where he is now team principal.
Verstappen is contracted at Red Bull until the end of 2028 and while the team would have been thrilled by the car’s resurgence in the back half of the season, the whispers that he could look elsewhere just won’t go away.
Next season begins a new era of F1 regulations that have been described as some of the biggest rule changes in the history of the sport.
The Drag Reduction System (DRS) is gone, and F1’s new power units will rely more on electrical energy, with a 50-50 split between electric power and the internal combustion engine.
While the grid was separated by just tenths of a second at the end of 2025, there is expected to be significant disparity between the teams when F1’s new era kicks off at the Australian Grand Prix next March.
Red Bull’s long-term engine partnership with Honda has also come to an end, with Ford to provide the power units from 2026 to at least 2030.
All that to say there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding Red Bull and Verstappen’s future heading into 2026, when Mercedes is expected to be a frontrunner and Aston Martin is tipped to take a step forward under Newey.
Verstappen was heavily linked with a move to Mercedes earlier this year, and he would have his choice of the top teams should he choose to leave Red Bull in search of another title.
Sky Sports host Simon Lazenby said: “We don’t know what’s going to happen in 2026, but Max will be in the best car in 2027 won’t he?
“He has that luxury that’s been afforded to him by being a generational talent and the best in the field.”
Former world champion Nico Rosberg said: “Yes, you’re right. He’s probably going to see how the season starts next year and then potentially switch to whichever team has the best car, because he can pick and choose.
“I think he’s going to be a bit impatient, he wants to keep winning and get that fifth world championship.
“If I had to predict something, I think it could go that way. But it’s so early days. Let’s be patient because Red Bull could still be the dominant force.”
“He can’t go to McLaren, they’ve got two great incumbents,” Martin Brundle added.
“Mercedes have George and Kimi. Where are the spaces? Ferrari? It’s a bit disrespectful if we are to say to all the other team, he’ll kick one of theirs out, but I think he will absolutely have the call of the field of those who have the space available.”
Moving teams would also allow Verstappen the chance to do what seven-time world champions Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton did — win titles at two different teams.
A fifth title would see him surpass Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost, drawing level with Argentinian legend Juan Manuel Fangio.
The whispers come as Red Bull’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, reviews the employment of 82-year-old motorsport advistor Helmut Marko, who has been with the team for 20 years working mainly with the junior driver program.
“It’s not in doubt [but] I will have a discussion, and then I’ll see what I do,” Marko said when asked about his future after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“I have to see, have to sleep over it, and then we see.”
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Originally published as ‘He can pick’: Verstappen defection rumour, image signals end of Red Bull empire
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