Expert: Rebuilding at Red Bull will take "two to three years"

– Will it take years before Red Bull can fight for the World Championship title in Formula 1 again? After the Bulls had a disappointing start to the 2026 season, Ralf Schumacher does not believe in a quick comeback for the team from Milton Keynes.

Read more The open questions after the start of the Formula 1 season 2026

“Red Bull is in a rebuilding phase that, in my view, will take two to three years,” the expert tells Sky. Although Red Bull is capable of “achieving such a rebuild a second time,” he emphasizes that one must “bring a bit of time.”

Because already in the mid-2010s, Red Bull experienced a very similar situation. After Sebastian Vettel had won the World Championship title four times in a row between 2010 and 2013, it then took eight years before they provided the world champion again with Max Verstappen in 2021.

Now Red Bull could face another dry spell, especially since the team has had to cope with numerous departures in recent months and years. Among others, Christian Horner, Jonathan Wheatley, Adrian Newey, and Helmut Marko left the racing team.

Most recently, Gianpiero Lambiase also decided to accept an offer from McLaren and say goodbye to Red Bull by the end of 2027 at the latest. “I believe there will still be a poker game between the two parties,” Schumacher says about it.

Will Verstappen move to McLaren as well?

The expert explains: “I cannot imagine that he will finish the year 2027 at Red Bull. It will now be about a transfer fee.” This means: Lambiase could leave the Bulls even before his contract expires.

Read more How Lewis Hamilton supported F1 Academy champion Doriane Pin

The fact that Max Verstappen’s long-time race engineer is saying goodbye to the Bulls is also interpreted by Schumacher as a possible sign that the four-time world champion himself could leave in the near future.

Photo gallery: Tears instead of titles: Eight fallen Formula 1 superpowers

“In my view, Max will orient himself differently next year,” he predicts, explaining that one possibility is that Verstappen “quits entirely” because he has repeatedly emphasized recently that he cannot relate to the new Formula 1, Schumacher recalls.

“Or: He goes with his engineer to McLaren,” the expert names another scenario he can imagine. This would mean in turn “that there are negotiations at McLaren that Oscar Piastri […] will go to Red Bull.”

Because at McLaren, both cockpits for 2027 are actually already occupied. Accordingly, the team would have to give up a driver to make room for Verstappen. In this context, Schumacher does not rule out a driver swap.

Read more Abt presents DTM designs 2026: This is what the new Red Bull Lamborghini looks like!