Former F1 driver David Coulthard has questiond the narrative surrounding Red Bull following a number of big name departures in recent years.
Many of the senior staff members that were part of the squad during its successful years with Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, respectively, have moved on.
These names include Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Rob Marshall and Gianpiero Lambiase, with the latter set to join McLaren in 2028.
However, Verstappen himself has insisted on several ocassions that they are just a few names of the some 1,200 employees that contribute to Red Bull's success.
It's a remark that Coulthard mirrored, pointing to the huge hiring process the team took on when it set up its engine facility for its 2026 entry.
“I was talking to someone at Red Bull a few weeks ago about this,” Coulthard told the Up to Speed podcast.
“The reality is they came up with a number that the amount of people that had left versus the amount of people who joined from Ferrari, Mercedes, the rivals, was in favour of people coming in.
“If you look at [Red Bull] Powertrains, they basically started from scratch, built a factory and hired a few hundred people.
“Those few hundred people weren’t coming from motorbikes and all the rest of it - they were coming from other F1 teams.
“It’s one of those things where the narrative suited the ‘poker finger, the wheels have come off the wagon’-type scenario. But it’s constantly happening.
“All of the teams are hiring and firing, people on gardening leave and what have you.”
Verstappen has comitted his future to Red Bull, recently penning an extension that will see him remain at the team until at least the 2030 season.
The Dutchman has praised the impact of team boss Laurent Mekies, with Coulthard telling RacingNews365 that it's clear the two share a harmonious relationship.
While Coulthard admitted some major names have left the team, he stated a single figure can no longer directly impact the form of an outfit.
“So I don’t see anything unique in that at all because yes, Adrian and people like that are headline names and they have clearly captained the ships very well.
“But the sport now has become so complex, not one person can make it the deciding factor.”
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