Red Bull F1 Facing “Decline” As Head of Strategy Rumored to Leave, Says Former Mechanic
The Red Bull Racing F1 team’s former mechanic, Kenny Handkammer, has revealed that the team’s head of strategy, Hannah Schmitz, could be the next high-profile team member to announce her exit. Notably, Max Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, recently announced his exit as he is slated to join rival team McLaren Racing in 2028. Red Bull has been struck with key team member exits in the last two years, such as Rob Marshall, who joined McLaren, Adrian Newey, who joined Aston Martin, and Jonathan Wheatley, who joined the Audi F1 team.
Not to forget former team principal Christian Horner’s ousting, whose contribution to the team’s success has been immense, and the retirement of senior advisor Helmut Marko after the 2025 season, who helped Red Bull push young talent like Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel in the premier class of motorsport, and win championships. Lambiase’s exit, which MotorBiscuit reported, shook the world of F1, given his close working relationship with Verstappen. The 28-year-old driver has voiced his unhappiness with the new 2026 F1 regulations, as well as the pace of his Red Bull RB22, which is not yet fast enough to compete for race wins.
Will Verstappen follow Lambiase out the door at Red Bull? Read More from MotorBiscuit: Jos Verstappen Opens Up About his Son Max Verstappen’s F1 Future Amid Race Engineer Exit FIA Warns Against Rushing 2026 F1 Rule Changes After Oliver Bearman’s 50G Crash Miami Grand Prix IMAX Ticket Pricing Revealed for Formula 1 Fans in 2026 IMOLA, ITALY – MAY 17: Hannah Schmitz, Principal Strategy Engineer of Oracle Red Bull Racing on the pit wall during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on May 17, 2025 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202505170291 // Usage for editorial use only // Now, though, Schmitz could be the next key team member to leave Red Bull, according to Handkammer.
Speaking on The Two Mechanics podcast, he said: “The decline of Red Bull is quite sad. If I were the CEO of Red Bull Global, I’d be thinking. Look who he has lost, Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Gianpiero Lambiase, and Will Courtenay.
“It looks like Hannah Schmitz, Head of Strategy, is rumoured to go too. All these massive key people and talks are there’s going to be more. That’s a real head scratcher.