Sometimes they are like a married couple, as Max Verstappen and his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase themselves described it in the past. Of course, the outside world never hears what goes on inside the walls of Red Bull’s garage; all they hear is the occasional bickering over the team radio during a Grand Prix. There is no doubt, however, that Verstappen and Lambiase are very well connected. Verstappen will no doubt be happy that Lambiase has committed his future to Red Bull Racing.
Sadly, Verstappen has recently seen one after another walking through the exit door at the Austrian team, with most notably Adrian Newey and (soon to be) team manager Jonathan Wheatley. Although Christian Horner has long maintained the view that the sporting problems Red Bull have experianced are not due to the departure of key members in the organisation, external advisor Helmut Marko and Verstappen think slightly differently. They would have liked to keep the team that has dominated Formula 1 in recent years, together.
Many departures can create a problem, causing both internal and external turmoil. Moreover, there is always the question of who replaces them; are they as capable as the people leaving? And how quickly will it take them to become fully at home in their new roles? There is no time for a settling-in period in Formula 1, as that usually equals regression. A successor to Newey, for example, has not yet been found – although it is seriously questionable whether someone with his knowledge and skillset exists at all.
It is likely that the current work of Wheatley, who will step down in early 2025, will be split between several people at Red Bull, with Gianpiero Lambiase named as one of the people who will take on parts of his duties – in addition to his work as Verstappen’s race engineer. Lambiase is someone who Verstappen is confident in, and the Dutchman is no doubt pleased that the Briton did not accept undoubtedly lucrative offers from Ferrari or McLaren.
Verstappen’s longer-term future at Red Bull is uncertain, despite an ongoing commitment until the end of 2028. No one will be surprised if the triple world champion leaves Red Bull for a team elsewhere on the grid after 2025. Either way, choosing to part ways with the team with which Verstappen has enjoyed so much success will never be easy to make. Perhaps Lambiase’s longer tenure will eventually play a role in the decision on his future that Verstappen makes every year.
Looking at it that way, it was a masterstroke by Red Bull Racing to at least do everything possible to keep Lambiase on board.
