Max Verstappen suffers blow as the three-time world champion’s chief mechanic quits Red Bull after an ‘amazing 18 years’… with the Dutchman’s key ally joining a rival ‘at the other end of the pit lane’
- Lee Stevenson was Red Bull’s chief mechanic for Verstappen’s world titles
- Red Bull won seven drivers’ championships during his time with the team
- Stevenson has announced that he will join another Formula 1 team
Three-time world champion Max Verstappen has been dealt a blow after his chief mechanic announced he was leaving Red Bull to join a rival team.
Lee Stevenson announced Instagram he will work for another Formula 1 team from Monday when he flies to the Japanese Grand Prix.
Stevenson has been a long-time mechanic at Red Bull having joined the Milton Keynes-based team in 2006, a year after the team’s debut season.
Red Bull has since won the constructors’ title six times, as well as seven drivers’ championships.
The last three drivers’ titles have been won by Verstappen, with the Dutchman joining the team in 2016.
Red Bull’s chief mechanic Lee Stevenson has announced his departure from Red Bull Racing
Stevenson has worked closely with Max Verstappen during his three world title victories
Stevenson has been in the pit lane for all 56 of Verstappen’s Grand Prix victories.
‘You won’t see any more messages from me from Red Bull because today is my last day.
“It’s been an amazing 18 years and all the things I’ve managed to achieve here with the team are absolutely incredible. From working on the first car, the RB2, and then the RB16B, of course the RB19.
‘It’s been an incredible journey. I want to thank everyone here, it was a great time I had.
‘When I started in 2006, I never thought we would win races, get poles, win championships, but we did it all and it was just great. So yeah, on to the next chapter.
‘That chapter starts on Monday when I fly to Japan to work with my new team on the other side of the pit lane. It will be a huge challenge, but I am ready for it.’
Stevenson had initially joined Red Bull as the team’s fourth mechanic, before taking on the front-end role.
Stevenson, right, was part of Red Bull for its six constructors’ and seven drivers’ championship wins
He became the first mechanic on Daniil Kvyat’s car in 2015 and took on the same role when Verstappen joined the team.
Stevenson revealed in 2020 that he had built a strong bond with the Dutch superstar.
“You recognize their excitement,” he told the official Formula 1 website. “We have fun on and off the track, but Max knows 100 percent that we will get the job done in the garage and that he can trust us.”
The mechanic was one of the key people working on Verstappen’s car when he crashed during the formation lap of the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Verstappen praised the mechanics for ‘saving the day’ after he finished second.
Stevenson was later promoted to Red Bull’s chief mechanic.
Verstappen had a strong start to the season, with the reigning champion taking victories at the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
Stevenson helped repair Verstappen’s car after he crashed on the formation lap of the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix, before securing a podium finish
However, the Dutchman was forced to retire from the Australian Grand Prix last week after two rounds.
Verstappen made a strong start to the season, with the reigning champion taking victories at both the Bahrain and Saudi Grand Prix.
However, the Dutchman was forced to withdraw from the Australian Grand Prix last week.
Verstappen’s future has been the subject of speculation amid the furore over the Red Bull team boss’ sex testing scandal this season.