Red Bull talent drain hits again as another Max Verstappen ally joins F1 rivals

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen has once again lost a key member of the Red Bull garage to a rival squad as the energy drink giant's worrying talent drain continues.

Since design genius Adrian Newey announced his intention to leave the Milton Keynes-based F1 squad on May 1, 2024, the amount of big names opting to also depart has been astonishing.

Red Bull is now an entirely different team to the constructor that claimed a string of team championships and drivers' titles with Verstappen, so it's no surprise that the Dutchman is reportedly weighing up his options for a swift exit ahead of the 2027 campaign.

Red Bull have lost a significant amount of key staff from their F1 operation in recent years, with many swapping the navy blue hues of the Austrian company for the papaya of McLaren.

But the latest departure isn't heading to Woking or following in Newey's footsteps with a switch to Aston Martin. Instead, it is Williams who have won over Red Bull's former senior trackside control engineer, Michael Manning.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen signs for Mercedes and more F1 silly season moves

Ex-Red Bull star joins rivals who are 'genuinely hungry' for success

The former member of the Red Bull F1 team confirmed the rival move via LinkedIn after rumours of his exit from Red Bull began to swirl in 2025, revealing that he has now begun work at Williams.

"I’m delighted to share that I’ve begun a new challenge as Atlassian Williams F1 Team’s Chief Engineer - Trackside Engineering," he confirmed.

"Williams’ engineering heritage is among the most storied in Formula 1. With nine constructors’ championships and seven drivers’ titles to its name, it remains one of the sport’s truly iconic teams.

"However, it is the ambition for the future that drew me to this role. There is a genuine hunger at Grove to return to the sharp end of the grid, and I am looking forward to ensuring the outstanding work at the factory translates into clinical execution at the circuit.

"Joining at such a significant point in the team’s journey, particularly as we approach Williams’ 50th anniversary, makes this opportunity even more meaningful."

Manning then gave a nod to Red Bull's former junior stars who now make up the Williams F1 driver lineup, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.

But drivers got their start in the sport as a member of the Red Bull driver academy, with Albon one of the lucky few (or unlucky depending on how you look at it) who were handed the chance to try their luck in the second seat of the main team alongside Verstappen.

"It’s a real highlight to be working alongside Carlos and Alex again, having crossed paths with both earlier in our careers," Manning continued, before concluding: "I am eager to get started and contribute to the next chapter of this legendary team."

Who is Michael Manning?

Manning is now known as a world championship-winning engineer who played a pivotal role in Verstappen's drivers' title success with Red Bull between 2021 and 2024, but he began his life in F1 with Jordan Grand Prix.

The Irishman started out as a control engineer for the team owned by the late, great Eddie Jordan in 2005, although he only worked for the F1 legend and fellow countryman for a week before the Midland takeover. Manning stuck with the squad throughout that team rebrand and for the transition into Force India.

In 2010 however, Manning left Silverstone and began work in a more senior position with Lotus, although he only lasted a year before settling on Red Bull as his new home.

Having worked at Milton Keynes since 2011, the man from Cork has been a proud contributor to not one but two periods of championship domination, first with Sebastian Vettel and then with Verstappen.

In fact, Manning has been one of Verstappen's key engineers since 2016, working alongside main race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase (who is moving to McLaren), Tom Hart (rumoured to also be heading to Williams )and David Mart (who has already made the switch to Audi), so it's fair to say this has come as another blow for Verstappen.

Though Manning only just started at Williams, he would have had to take gardening leave from Red Bull ahead of starting work with his new team.

READ MORE: Christian Horner's two big mistakes that caused a Red Bull civil war

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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