- Lee Stevenson has been Red Bull’s chief mechanic in Verstappen’s world titles
- Red Bull has won seven drivers’ championships during his time with the team.
- Stevenson has announced that he will be joining another Formula One team.
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Three-time world champion Max Verstappen has suffered a blow after his crew chief announced he would be leaving Red Bull to join a rival team.
Lee Stevenson announced the instagram He will start working for another Formula One team from Monday, when he flies to the Japanese Grand Prix.
Stevenson has been a long-time mechanic at Red Bull after joining the Milton Keynes-based team in 2006, a year into the team’s debut campaign.
Since then, Red Bull has won the constructors’ title six times, as well as seven drivers’ championships.
The last three drivers’ titles have been won by Verstappen, with the Dutchman joining the team in 2016.
Red Bull crew chief Lee Stevenson has announced his departure from Red Bull Racing.
Stevenson has worked closely with Max Verstappen during his three world titles.
Stevenson has been in the pit lane for all of Verstappen’s 56 Grand Prix victories.
“You won’t see any more posts from me from Red Bull because today is my last day.
‘It’s been an incredible 18 years and all the things I’ve managed to achieve here with the team have been absolutely incredible. From working on the first car, the RB2, and then on the RB16B, obviously the RB19.
‘It has been an incredible journey. I just want to say thank you to everyone here, it’s been an incredible time I’ve had.
“In 2006, when I started, I never thought we would win races, get pole positions, win championships, but we’ve managed to do all that and it’s been just incredible.” So yeah, onto the next chapter.
‘That chapter begins on Monday when I fly to Japan to start working with my new team at the other end of the pit lane. It’s going to be a huge challenge, but I’m prepared for it.”
Stevenson had initially started at Red Bull as the team’s fourth mechanic, before taking on the front winger role.
Stevenson, right, has been part of Red Bull during its six constructors’ and seven drivers’ championships.
He became the number one mechanic on Daniil Kvyat’s car in 2015 and took on the same role when Verstappen joined the team.
Stevenson revealed in 2020 that he had built a strong bond with the Dutch superstar.
“You can relate to his enthusiasm,” he told Formula One’s official website. “We have fun on the track and off it, but Max knows 100 percent that in the garage we will get the job done and that he can trust us.”
The mechanic was among the key people who worked on Verstappen’s car when it crashed on the formation lap at the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Verstappen praised the mechanics for “saving the day” after finishing second.
Stevenson was later promoted to Red Bull’s crew chief.
Verstappen has enjoyed a good start to the season with the reigning champion taking wins at the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix.
Stevenson helped fix Verstappen’s car after he crashed on the formation lap at the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix before securing a podium finish.
The Dutchman, however, was forced to retire from the Australian Grand Prix last week after two laps.
Verstappen has enjoyed a good start to the season with the reigning champion taking wins at the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
The Dutchman, however, was forced to withdraw from the Australian Grand Prix last week.
Verstappen’s future had been the subject of speculation amid the Red Bull team principal’s sexual testing scandal this season.