Max Verstappen Gets Double-Edged Sword as Jonathan Wheatley’s Exit Brings Massive GP Lambiase Opportunity

Even an under-turmoil Red Bull can’t faze Max Verstappen. The Milton Keynes outfit is taking loss after loss with Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley’s exit to become Audi Team Principal being the latest domino to fall. But unlike Adrian Newey’s exit, which only had downsides for the team, Wheatley’s move brings more to the table, with Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase set to benefit.

When Red Bull lost F1’s most successful designer in Newey owing to the internal ‘power struggle’, his right-hand man Pierre Wache stepped up to lead the technical department. However, the RB20’s developments no longer facilitate Verstappen to secure win after win, which he got used to in 2023. However, Wheatley’s exit has reportedly paved the way for the Dutchman’s position to strengthen within the team.

As per FormulaPassion, Gianpiero Lambiase is set to be promoted to team manager, taking over Wheatley’s responsibilities. So Max Verstappen, who Lambiase refers to as his “younger brother”, will lose his closest ally only to gain more access to the top management. Off late, the otherwise jolly duo’s relationship had hit rocky waters. Their sour Hungarian GP exchanges over the team radio overshadowed the team’s efforts. Lambiase even termed Verstappen’s in-race request for an investigation against Lewis Hamilton as “childish”.

But by the next race weekend, this pressing concern was put to rest. “Everything has been resolved,” the Dutchman told Viaplay ahead of the Belgian GP. While their “old married couple” like relationship goes through the natural ebb and flow, the team is crumbling around them. But even after the big-ticket exits, the alarm bells aren’t ringing at Red Bull.

Christian Horner and Pierre Wache’s optimistic assessment of Red Bull’s dire state

The pressure on Red Bull to axe Christian Horner peaked after the scandal earlier this year. Then, Jonathan Wheatley was considered as his fellow Briton’s successor in case everything went south. But the media trial was the only repercussion for Horner and Wheatley couldn’t see his Team Principal dream through. Now that Audi has allowed him to take on the position, Horner remains unfazed.

“I know that Jonathan wants to leave. Why not?” the team boss told Blick. “He’s an expensive man whose salary I can hire some engineers for.” Now that’s a uniquely positive take on such a subject. Technical Director Pierre Wache’s stance on such internal promotions after Newey’s exit carries a similar theme. “It’s a massive benefit because you see the hard work is paying off. The team is a working organization not by individual, but a group and how we work together. If you have each individual working in isolation, nothing works.”

Attempting his hand at poetry, Wache added, “If you want to put a rocket on the moon, one guy cannot do it. You need people doing stuff and it’s the same for the car.” So from the outside looking in, the Milton Keynes outfit is in shambles. But from the inside reporting to the outside world, the grass is green everywhere. Even if these are PR-trained responses, at least something is going right.

On the most recent episode of Red Bull’s Talking Bull podcast, Max Verstappen also emphasized how the team feels like a “second family” to him. Do you think the reigning champ will continue with this family or will Toto Wolff-led Mercedes be successful in finalizing this divorce for 2025?