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?
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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. How do you reconfigure the team?”
Is Red Bull Racing Facing an Internal Crisis?
Is Red Bull Racing a sinking ship at the moment, especially given Verstappen’s recent admission that he would quit F1 if nothing is done to change the current regulations?
MotorBiscuit reported Verstappen’s comments after the Japanese Grand Prix, when he was asked if he was going to quit F1. He said:
“That’s what I’m saying. I’m thinking about everything inside this paddock.
“Privately I’m very happy. You also wait for 24 races. This time it’s 22. But normally 24. And then you just think about is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you’re not enjoying your sport?”
