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Max Verstappen is putting the final touches on his preparations for March’s F1 seasonal opener at the Australian GP, but Red Bull have suffered a major blow with one longstanding team member leaving
Red Bull’s chief designer, Craig Skinner, is poised to leave the Formula One team on the brink of the new season. Having been a key figure in the team for the past four years, his departure could deal a significant blow to Max Verstappen’s ambitions of securing another Drivers’ Championship in 2026.
According to Planet F1, the University of Glasgow graduate has chosen to leave, ending a 20-year tenure with Red Bull – having joined the company in 2006 as a CFD engineer. A statement from the team read: “After 20 years with the team, Craig Skinner, our Chief Designer, will be leaving the Red Bull Technology team.
“Craig has been an integral part of our team and its success, and we would like to thank him for his hard work and commitment. The whole Red Bull team wishes him all the best for the future.”
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It isn’t the only shift the team has experienced over the past year or so, with a major reshuffle also potentially affecting Verstappen’s chances of clinching a fifth world championship. Laurent Mekies now leads the organisation, taking over from Christian Horner just days after last season’s British Grand Prix.
Helmut Marko also announced his exit from the team at the close of 2025, whilst four staff members – including Alice Hedworth – were sacked earlier this month in further restructuring efforts. It was a challenging season on the grid for Verstappen in 2025, as the 28-year-old was narrowly beaten to the title by just two points by McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Despite Verstappen winning more races than Norris throughout the year – eight compared to his rival’s seven – it was ultimately podium finishes that tipped the balance, with the Brit securing 18 spots to the Dutch-Belgian’s commendable 15. McLaren also reigned supreme in the Constructors’ Championship, thanks to sterling performances from both Norris and Oscar Piastri, who finished third in the Drivers’ standings, trailing Verstappen by just 11 points.
McLaren ended up with a total of 833 points, followed by a Mercedes team made up of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in second place with 469 points, and Red Bull’s Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda in third with 451. Tsunoda also finished 17th in the Drivers’ standings, earning 33 points but no victories or podium finishes.
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Isack Hadjar is set to move up from the Racing Bulls to join Verstappen for 2026, whilst Tsunoda has been relegated to a reserve and testing role. However, Verstappen’s own future with the team has recently been shrouded in uncertainty, as the driver has expressed dissatisfaction with new rules and regulations introduced by F1.
During the first week of pre-season testing in Bahrain, he said: “As a driver, the feeling is not very Formula 1-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids.
Craig Skinner has left Red Bull(Image: Getty)
“As a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out. And at the moment, you cannot drive like that. There’s a lot going on.
“A lot of what you do as a driver, in terms of inputs, has a massive effect on the energy side of things. For me, that’s just not Formula 1.
“Maybe it’s better to drive Formula E, right? Because that’s all about energy efficiency and management. That’s what they stand for. Driving-wise, it’s not so fun.”
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