Karun Chandhok has explained what Red Bull must do to prevent its slide into F1 obscurity.
Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok has warned that Red Bull needs to make a significant signing in order to address the alarming departure of personnel jeopardizing the team’s stability. Red Bull, a six-time constructors’ champion, currently sits in sixth place in the standings after several key figures left the team.
Over the past two years, Red Bull has experienced the departure of senior members such as Adrian Newey to Aston Martin, Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay to McLaren, Jonathan Wheatley to Audi, Christian Horner, and Helmut Marko. Chief designer Craig Skinner also left in 2026.
The team is at risk of losing further staff, with Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase set to join McLaren as chief racing officer. Chandhok highlighted the cultural importance, noting that recent success on-track alone isn’t enough to retain personnel.
He mentioned the need for a shift in culture within the organization, as Red Bull had shown strong performance in the latter part of the previous season but struggled with an ongoing brain drain and cultural transformation.
