Steiner Dismisses Lambiase Red Bull Exit as Part of F1's Natural Cycle

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has characterized the departure of Max Verstappen's race engineer, GianPiero Lambiase, to McLaren as a predictable event in Formula 1's competitive cycle. He argues that key personnel often leave a top team when their market value is highest, and that new boss Laurent Mekies needs time to rebuild Red Bull Racing.

Why it matters:

Lambiase's move is the latest in a significant exodus of senior talent from Red Bull, following Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, and others. Steiner's perspective frames this not as a crisis but as an inevitable phase for a team transitioning from a period of dominance, highlighting the fluid nature of technical talent in the F1 paddock and the long-term challenge facing the team's new leadership.

The Details:

• In an interview on the Drive to Wynn podcast, Steiner stated that F1 is inherently "cyclical" and that Red Bull's recent success made its personnel "hot property" for rival teams.
• He suggested individuals like Lambiase are capitalizing on their peak value, which coincides with Red Bull's winning era, rather than waiting for the team to potentially return to the top.
• Steiner emphasized that this trend is self-perpetuating: "if one starts to do that, a lot of people follow, and every time the team is weakened... more people leave."
• On the personal dynamic, Steiner believes Verstappen, while not happy about the departure, would understand Lambiase's need to secure his own future beyond the driver's racing career.

What's Next:

The focus now shifts to new team principal Laurent Mekies and a rebuilding process that Steiner insists cannot be rushed.

• Steiner praised Mekies as "a very good guy" but cautioned that he is "not a magician" and will need considerable time to attract new talent and restore Red Bull's competitive foundation.
• The expectation is that a return to a dominant position is unlikely in the next year or two, signaling a period of transition for the former championship-winning team as it adjusts to its new reality within the F1 hierarchy.