Max Verstappen dealt further F1 Red Bull staff blow

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Abu Dhabi, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Verstappen dealt further Red Bull staff blow

Max Verstappen will miss a key ally in 2025

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 8 January 2025 03:00

Max Verstappen has suffered another change in personnel at Red Bull, with a key member of staff changing roles.

The Dutchman won his fourth consecutive world title in 2024, despite a number of key departures from the team and some performance issue with his RB20.

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Unable to commit upon corner entry and struggling with the bumps and kerbs, both Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez bemoaned their cars on frequent occasions in 2024.

Whilst Verstappen was ultimately victorious, Red Bull missed out on the constructors’ trophy and placed third overall behind McLaren and Ferrari.

Max Verstappen was left frustrated in 2024

Verstappen engineer leaves role at Red Bull

Design legend Adrian Newey announced his exit from the team and has since moved to Aston Martin, where he will begin in his role of managing technical partner in March.

Furthermore, Jonathan Wheatley also left the team to assume the role of9 Sauber team principal ahead of Audi’s arrival into F1 for 2026.

Now, it appears that Verstappen will have to contend with the departure of another established figure trackside at Red Bull, with one of his engineers changing roles.

According to De Telegraaf, one of Verstappen’s four permanent engineers, Michael Manning, will exit his role, as he ends his presence trackside and moves to another position within the Red Bull team.

Currently working alongside Gianpiero Lambiase, Tom Hart and David Mart, Manning joined Verstappen's team in 2016 as a ‘control engineer’ which ensures responsibility for the Dutchman’s starts.

Manning's Red Bull career began in 2011, where he worked alongside another four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, and it is unknown the role he will undertake next within the team.

Red Bull Max Verstappen Aston Martin Adrian Newey Sauber Jonathan Wheatley