Former Formula 1 race winner Ralf Schumacher believes the departure of one key team member is hurting Max Verstappen badly in 2026.
Red Bull is a team that has been picked apart by rivals in the last 18 months, with key figures departing or being fired from the team that dominated the ground-effect era.
New CEO and Team Principal Laurent Mekies has sought to steady the ship after the departures of Christian Horner, Jonathan Wheatley, and Helmut Marko, ushering in a new order.
2026 has started off badly for the team, currently sixth in the standings after three rounds, now firmly stuck in the ultra competitive midfield, and struggling to explain its issues.
Schumacher believes that Red Bull, now more than ever, is missing a crucial figure to guide the team through this difficult transition.
“I think you just have to be honest now and say that Red Bull is not really attractive in the current situation,” Schumacher said on the Backstage Boxengasse podcast.
“It is again a long-term project at the moment. First of all, there is the engine development, which they have done well by the way.
“But the team itself is a bit chaotic at the moment; it goes in all directions. There is no clear communication to the outside world.
“Helmut Marko is also missing as a figure to give some kind of guidance.”
Can Red Bull cope if Max Verstappen leaves?
But despite the issues facing Red Bull, Schumacher believes Verstappen will power through the issues head-on with the team.
“If Verstappen were to leave, it would be difficult,” he said.
“That’s how it is: people have focused very strongly on Verstappen, rightly so given his successes. But I still do not believe he will leave.
“Just leaving in a situation where the team is not working and the car is not working…. That would be a kind of running away.
“That doesn’t fit his character. On the contrary, I believe it is important for him to bring the team back to the front.”
Schumacher has highlighted the dangerous position Red Bull is now in. The old guard has been swept away, and it is now in a rebuilding phase. Answers to the question of competitiveness will not come quickly.
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