Major Red Bull internal restructure set in motion, Max Verstappen remains relatively unaffected: Reports

Reports have surfaced about Red Bull undergoing major internal changes in personnel positions. One is that Max Verstappen's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase was promoted to Head of Racing. However, reports say this change does not affect the three-time world champion much.

The defending world champions have faced a stern competition in the 2024 F1 season. Teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes drastically closed the gap to the Austrian team, pressuring it into the title race. Recently, Red Bull lost the lead in the constructors' championship to McLaren after Oscar Piastri's win at Baku.

Reigning world champion Verstappen hasn't won since June, missing a victory in seven races. This could have been one of the major reasons for a drastic restructure inside the Austrian team.

Gianpiero Lambiase has been Max Verstappen's race engineer since the young Dutchman joined Red Bull in 2016. Since then, both have created a special and open bond, which allows them to take better strategy calls.

According to several reports, Lambiase will be promoted to Head of Racing in the team but will remain Verstappen's race engineer. This change was made after sporting director, Jonathan Wheatley, left the team to join Audi (currently Sauber) in 2025.

Apart from Lambiase's role change, Red Bull's senior engineer, Stephen Knowles, will also be promoted to a newly made position called Head of Sporting Regulations. As the name suggests, he will be responsible for keeping the team in check so that they work under the FIA regulations.

Another senior engineer, Richard Wolverson, would also take up a new post in the camp as Head of Racing Operations.

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Red Bull team boss on recent management restructure amid on-track performance struggles

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner recently discussed the internal staff restructure. As quoted by Motorsport.com, the Brit said that the team is at a crucial point in time and on the brink of a major change in mindset. He addressed the challenges they could face in the future being one of the main reasons for this restructure.

“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," Horner said.

The defending world champions are currently second in the constructors' championship with 456 points, while McLaren leads the table with 476 points.

Max Verstappen, on the other hand, continues to lead the drivers' championship with 313 points but is chased by McLaren's Lando Norris, who is in second place with 254 points.