Gianpiero Lambiase is set to stay as Max Verstappen’s race engineer for the 2026 Formula 1 season, ending weeks of speculation and keeping one of the strongest driver-engineer pairings on the grid intact. For Red Bull fans and Verstappen loyalists, this is massive because it means the voice that has guided Max through some of his biggest wins is not going anywhere just yet.
Gianpiero Lambiase And Max Verstappen’s Bond
Gianpiero Lambiase has been by Verstappen’s side ever since the Dutchman joined Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, the race where Max took his first F1 victory. Since then, the duo has built one of the most iconic partnerships in modern F1, stacking up 71 grand prix wins and four world titles together.
On the radio, their chemistry is unmatched: calm, blunt, sometimes savage, but always brutally effective. Lambiase knows exactly when to push Max, when to cool him down, and when to let him do his thing, which is a huge part of why Verstappen remains such a relentless force on Sundays.
Clearing The Rumours
The doubts around Gianpiero Lambiase’s future really kicked off after the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Verstappen narrowly missed out on a fifth title, and Lambiase looked visibly emotional on the pit wall. Add to that the fact that he missed the races in Austria and Belgium earlier in the year for personal reasons, and suddenly rumours started flying that he would stop travelling with the team from 2026.
Some reports even suggested that he might switch to a factory-based role in Milton Keynes instead of being trackside with Max. But those rumours have now been shut down, with it understood that Lambiase will continue in his current role as Verstappen’s race engineer next season.
So, while Red Bull might look very different off-track in 2026, one thing stays the same: Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase will continue to chase glory together. And if history is anything to go by, that usually ends one way, with more wins, more drama, and probably a few more iconic radio moments along the way.
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