Lee Stevenson, Red Bull’s key mechanic and Verstappen’s mainstay, exits after an impactful 18-year tenure to embrace a new role.
Lee Stevenson, the longstanding chief mechanic of the team as well as Max Verstappen’s chief mechanic, has announced his departure from Red Bull Racing following the Australian Grand Prix.
Stevenson joined from Jordan GP in 2006, initially as an assistant chief mechanic. He took on the role of chief mechanic in 2014. He became a prominent figure in the Red Bull garage as Verstappen continued to rack up victories since F1’s return to ground effect aerodynamics in 2022.
The British technician has worked alongside the Dutch driver since his promotion within Red Bull Racing at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, where Verstappen won on his debut.
Verstappen’s recent dominance has seen him ascend to third in the all-time wins ranking with 56 trips to the top step of the podium, along with three consecutive titles.
However, Stevenson revealed on Instagram that the curtain has now fallen on his stint at Red Bull as he will be joining a team “at the other end of the pit lane,” starting from the Japanese Grand Prix.
“This message (on his Instagram account, ed.) is just to let you all know that you will no longer see posts from me as Red Bull’s chief mechanic because today is my last day. It has been an incredible 18 years and everything I’ve managed to achieve here with the team has been absolutely amazing.”
“Working on the first car here, which is the RB2, then the RB16B, and of course the RB19. It has been an incredible journey. I just want to say thank you to everyone here. It’s been an amazing time I’ve had. In 2006, when I started, I never thought we would win races, secure pole positions, win championships, but we managed to do all that. It’s just amazing.”
“Let’s move on to the next chapter. This chapter starts Monday when I fly to Japan to begin working with my new team at the other end of the pit lane, it will be a huge challenge, but I am ready to take it on.”
Stevenson Leaves Red Bull for New Challenges. Stevenson Leaves Red Bull for New Challenges
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