The Reigning Champion Max Verstappen Angrily React as his Chief Mechanic Left the Team as A Result of Heartfelt tribute.
Amidst rumors of a possible move to Mercedes, Max Verstappen recently opened up about the loss of his head technician, Lee Stevenson. The Red Bull Racing athlete also shared his thoughts on the current chemistry inside his team, offering a glimpse into the inner workings of the Milton Keynes group.
As he confirmed his departure to another team “at the other end of the pit lane” in an emotional Instagram tribute, the current champion’s main mechanic was said to have quit the squad. Actually, Stevenson had given notice last year, and Chris Gent had taken over as Verstappen’s primary mechanic for some time.
In spite of this, Verstappen was questioned about the team’s possible instability in the wake of the Christian Horner accusations and Stevenson’s departure. In an interview with the Dutch newspaper AD (reported by PlanetF1), he stated:
“I believe that nobody is scared of that [his exit] at the moment. But two weeks ago? That may be, mwah. However, while I don’t read much, other individuals do. And I believe that helps generally.
Naturally, the goal is to retain the right employees for the longest amount of time. That’s a never-ending struggle since it’s natural for other teams to want to do that. That also occurs with the other elite teams.”
This is happening in the midst of rumors that Max Verstappen will be moving to Ferrari for the 2025 season, leaving Red Bull to take Lewis Hamilton’s spot at Mercedes. Jos, his father, made remarks that fueled these rumors even further. In spite of this, there is no proof that the three-time world champion wishes to quit the group.
But Toto Wolff, the principal of the Mercedes team, has made it clear that he is battling for Max.
“We have a slot free, the only one in the top teams — unless Max decides he goes and then the slot is not going to be free with us anymore,” he stated to Fox Sports Australia.
When asked if he was the Brackley squad’s top pick, Wolff responded as follows:
