Red Bull Chief Designer Quits Days Before F1 Season

Just weeks before the commencement of the 2026 season, Red Bull has suffered from yet another loss in their squad. The team has already undergone a massive personnel overhaul. Now, it is the team’s Chief Designer who has decided to quit his role after two decades of service to the Austrian constructor.

Red Bull’s long-time Chief Designer, Craig Skinner, has exited Red Bull after serving the team for over 20 years in Formula 1. He initially worked as a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) engineer back when he joined in 2006. Since then, he rose to quick succession and ultimately became the Chief Designer in 2022. Notably, Skinner had a big role in Red Bull’s extremely dominant RB19 for the 2023 season, in which Red Bull won 21 out of the 22 races.

For now, the reasons behind Craig Skinner’s untimely departure from the team are unknown. Moreover, this loss comes right before the team gears up for the massive challenge under the new regulations in the 2026 season. Sources claim that the exit is unrelated to Milton Keynes’ recent overhaul in leadership, especially involving Christian Horner and Helmut Marko.

Craig Skinner also hasn’t confirmed his role in any other team on the grid, further proving that he did not leave Red Bull for a switch in teams. Moreover, the Austrian constructor has not revealed who will take the role of the outgoing Chief Designer. For now, the team has just informed the fans about Skinner’s exit via an official statement. Further, the team wished him the best for his future endeavors as he steps away from a very crucial role in the constructor.

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.

A Red Bull spokesperson told RacingNews365.

Max Verstappen reveals “lot of learnings” from the pre-season test

The 2026 season is off to a rocky start, especially because of the complex regulations. Many teams and drivers have not warmed up quite nicely to the new generation of rules. This included Max Verstappen, who is skeptical of his chances to succeed. Regardless, Verstappen was delighted to have gained a lot of learning from the first pre-season test in Bahrain.

Max Verstappen insisted that he was able to finish a lot of laps on the first day of testing, which was certainly a good thing. Moreover, the team was able to test a lot with their new power units. Red Bull’s focus remained on better understanding the car’s setup so they could kick off the new season on the right note.

We were able to do a lot of laps on the first day, which was great. We were able to test a lot of things regarding the power unit and the car. Today we were able to continue with that to try to understand the car better in terms of set-up. We’ve learned a lot which we can take into the afternoon and next week.

Max Verstappen said via Verstappen.com.

The 2026 season hasn’t started yet, but many teams and drivers are looking forward to the challenge. Red Bull has undergone a massive change in personnel, which could help it achieve a turnaround in their pace. The team has taken the challenge to develop their own power unit in collaboration with Ford, which would be fun to witness. Time will tell about how the Austrian constructor fares against the massive hopes laid on them by the fans.

Read More: Oscar Piastri Warns 2026 F1 Cars Could Be a “Recipe for Disaster”

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