Verstappen hands his Brazil helmet to departing Red Bull mechanic after 20 years

The helmet carried the special design Verstappen used for the Brazilian Grand Prix, and footage of the handover was shared on social media. Schack, a Dane, was Verstappen's number-two mechanic and worked on the front end of the RB22. He had been with the team since its first season in 2005 and was the first person inside Red Bull to show Christian Horner around the team's factory.

The farewell came on a weekend when Verstappen was otherwise frustrated with Red Bull. He started 21st after a new power unit was fitted and charged through to second behind Lando Norris. After the flag, though, he told the team over the radio: "I'm sorry, but what a disaster to drive."

Verstappen was brief but clear about his mechanic. "He's unbelievable," he told Viaplay. Schack returned the compliment in a farewell interview with De Telegraaf, describing a driver whose personality changes when the car is ready to go. "Max is an incredibly relaxed guy when he's not in the car. He enjoys having a laugh and is great to be around," Schack said. He added that in qualifying, he sees a different look in Verstappen's eyes from the one he has in Friday practice.

He then went further and compared Verstappen to the two biggest names in football: "He's like Ronaldo and Messi, but in a Formula 1 car. Max has that little bit extra that you simply can't teach someone."

Schack is not leaving for a rival team. He is stepping away from the sport to spend more time at home. "I miss my family and I want to give something back to them, because by being away so much I have of course been a bit selfish," he told De Telegraaf. He also looked back on his years in Milton Keynes: "I'm proud to have been part of this team, through all the ups and downs. That final time will be special, but above all, I realise how much I owe Red Bull."

Schack's career at Red Bull spanned three eras of the team. He worked as a mechanic for David Coulthard from 2005 to 2008 and for Sebastian Vettel from 2009 to 2014, before moving to Verstappen's car. In his farewell interview, he said he had missed only three races since 2005.

His departure first became known in March and in his farewell interviews, Schack gave family as his reason. Verstappen is losing another familiar face on his side of the garage.

Gianpiero Lambiase is leaving for McLaren, and Red Bull confirmed that Tom Hart would replace him as Verstappen's race engineer in Austin, Brazil and Las Vegas. That makes Interlagos the first weekend on which Verstappen had both a new voice on the radio and a farewell in the garage.