The new F1 era started by Max Verstappen’s shock team move

Over the past decade, Max Verstappen has become one of the most divisive figures in motorsport, but there is no denying he is the face of Red Bull's glory years.

After legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey opted to leave the energy drink giants in 2024, it triggered a series of significant departures from within Red Bull's F1 ranks.

Fast forward to 2026 and both Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are no longer with the F1 outfit, and even Verstappen's long-time race engineer and ally Gianpiero Lambiase (GP) is gearing up for a switch to McLaren in years to come.

The British-Italian F1 engineer has been at Verstappen's side since his very first race with Red Bull, the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. It was at this event that the Dutchman made history by winning on his Red Bull debut at the tender age of 18 years, seven months, making him the youngest F1 race winner ever (a record he holds to this day).

When you take this into consideration along with the fact that both Verstappen and GP have both previously stated they won't compete in F1 without each other, it's understandable that rumours began to run wild last month that Verstappen could be set to follow his ally to McLaren.

But the duo that have so far achieved four championships and 71 grand prix victories together are set to continue working alongside one another until at least the end of the 2026 season, a campaign which would be rather romantic for them to end on a high seeing as it marks the 10-year anniversary since Verstappen's monumental switch to the main Red Bull F1 team.

In fact, it was on this day exactly a decade ago that Max Verstappen was welcomed to Red Bull.

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Max Verstappen marks 10 years at Red Bull F1

On May 5, 2016, Red Bull made the gutsy decision to demote 22-year-old Daniil Kvyat after a disastrous Russian Grand Prix, replacing him with an 18-year-old Verstappen, who drove for Toro Rosso (Red Bull's junior F1 team at the time).

10 years on from the shock switch that Red Bull have today described as 'decade-defining' via their social media channels, it turned out to be the best thing the Milton Keynes-based squad ever did.

Verstappen made his F1 debut in 2015, driving for Toro Rosso at the Australian Grand Prix, becoming the youngest F1 driver in history at just 17 years, five months, and 13 days old.

He enjoyed a respectable rookie campaign, picking up 49 points and securing a best result of P4 with the junior Red Bull squad, finishing the season P12 in the drivers' standings.

But Verstappen's career is anything but linear. He skipped F2 altogether and after just four rounds of his sophomore F1 campaign, the Dutchman was whisked off to Graz by Helmut Marko. Red Bull's former F1 advisor took great joy in telling his protege that by the time the 2016 Spanish GP rolled around, he would be a Red Bull driver.

From that day onward, Verstappen has gone on to smash boundaries and redefine what it means to be a modern Formula 1 star. He'd never even set foot on a podium until his first win in Spain, jumping straight from a career-best result of P4 to P1 on his Red Bull debut.

Who knows, If it weren't for Mercedes' domination during F1's hybrid era, Verstappen could well have become the youngest F1 champion in history.

He finally managed to secure his maiden title in what many F1 fans would describe as the most memorable title fight in the sport's modern history, overtaking Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP to clinch the title.

In the years that followed, the now 28-year-old has mastered his race craft and added three further drivers' titles to his name.

On top of this, he almost singlehandedly secured back -to-back constructors' championships for Red Bull, the team that faced so much scepticism around their place in the sport throughout the 2000s.

Over the last 10 years, those around Verstappen have watched on as he developed from a petulant teenager into a well-rounded four-time champion, who should he wish to persevere with the current power unit regulations, could still bring further title glory to the Red Bull name.

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— GPFans Global (@GPFansGlobal) May 5, 2026

READ MORE: FIA slammed over 'pathetic' Verstappen penalty at Miami Grand Prix

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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