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Gianpiero Lambiase's impending departure from Red Bull may prove to be the one the broke the camel's back. He is more than just the team's head of racing engineering, he is the closest ally that Max Verstappen has left at Red Bull and in the Formula 1 paddock - and now he is set to lose that connection.

Lambiase, whose contract is due to expire at the end of next season, has agreed to join McLaren. It is understood he will become their head of race engineering and report directly to team principal Andrea Stella. Claims that he has been signed a pre-emptive replacement for the Italian, who is reported to have been offered a route back to Ferrari, are believed to be wide of the mark.

But what is certainly true is that Red Bull looks like a very different team compared to even just two years ago. There have been a swathe of departures beyond the few that have made major headlines, like legendary designer Adrian Newey's decision to walk away and the shock sacking of Christian Horner last summer, and the exodus has continued into the new campaign.

And as Verstappen considers quitting F1, given he is getting no joy out of the new regulations and the generation of cars they have created, a lack of familiarity when he looks around his Red Bull garage may well push him towards the exit. A certain amount of staff turnover is completely normal for F1, but to number of high-profile people who have left Red Bull in the last two years is alarming.

In truth, it began before then with Rob Marshall's decision to leave in 2023 to join McLaren, becoming first their chassis technical director and then chief designer. But in the last two years things have really accelerated. Lee Stevenson, chief mechanic, left at the start of the 2024 season to join Sauber, which is now Audi where he has since been promoted to team manager.

Confirmation of that switch came just a few weeks before news broke that their celebrated designer Newey was also heading for the exit, eventually snapped up by Aston Martin. Just a few months later, the departures of two more senior figures were confirmed: Long-serving sporting director Jonathan Wheatley handed in his notice having been named team principal by Audi, and head of race strategy Will Courtenay decided to leave for McLaren and finally began work in January of this year.

The next exits were by less senior figures in terms of the team, but changed dynamics significantly within Verstappen's garage. Michael Manning, a control engineer on his car, decided to step back from a trackside role and Calum Nicholas, his most high-profile mechanic, did the same to accept a new role as an ambassador for the team.

Then came the bombshell news, just a few days after the British Grand Prix last July, that Horner had been relieved of his roles. Verstappen's father Jos had been pushing for the Brit to be axed for some time, but the relationship between Max and his team principal was believed to be good.

At the end of 2025 came more upheaval in Verstappen's garage. David Mart, another engine technician, left for Audi while Tom Hart, his performance engineer, is still working at Red Bull but has agreed to join Williams in 2027.

Then it was confirmed that Helmut Marko, team adviser and head of the young driver programme from which Verstappen graduated, would leave at the end of his contract. The bond between them was, and remains, extremely strong with Marko seen by the Dutchman as a second father figure. This was the biggest blow to Verstappen's personal circle yet.

That left Lambiase as his only remaining close confidant, even after chief designer Craig Skinner resigned in February, No.1 mechanic Matt Caller joined several former colleagues at Audi and his brother, Jon, also tendered his resignation, it is believed. And earlier this week it was reported that Ole Schack, one of Red Bull's longest-serving staff members and another mechanic on Verstappen's car, has also decided to walk away.

And now the strongest connection he has left to Red Bull, his long-time companion 'GP', is also preparing to head out of the exit door. Verstappen feels a tremendous amount of loyalty towards Red Bull Racing but, as he ponders his future and a potential F1 exit, he will surely question whether it feels like the same team anymore.