Much has been said about Gianpiero "GP" Lambiase's future at Red Bull Racing. Max Verstappen's longtime race engineer has become a firm favourite among Formula 1 fans—largely due to their always entertaining banter on the radio—so rumours that Lambiase might step away from the grid in 2026 were met with disappointment and concern for him in equal measure.
An emotional GP was shown breaking down at the end of the 2025 season, and there have been reports about him dealing with personal issues. While we won't speculate about the nature of those, it does sound like 2025 was an extremely challenging year for the veteran race engineer.
Fortunately, we have a positive update today from De Telegraf's Erik van Haren. He reports, "Next season, [Lambiase] will remain active as Verstappen's race engineer – with whom he has worked for almost ten years – and also Head of Racing at Red Bull."
Despite reports that Lambiase could sign with Aston Martin or Williams, his contract with Red Bull Racing runs through 2027, and it's hard to imagine him and the four-time Driver's World Champion not working together.
While there's been some chatter about GP taking on a management role or perhaps stepping back from the busy race schedule for a position in Milton Keynes, Verstappen fans will likely be relieved to know that Lambiase will still be the voice in his ear as Max looks to chase down a fifth title in 2026.
Lambiase has played a huge role in the Dutchman's career, guiding him to championship success and through the highs and lows of being an F1 driver in the decade they've spent working together.
Here's an excerpt from GP's biography on Red Bull Racing's official website:
Gianpiero Lambiase has been a trackside engineer in Formula One for 20 years. Having graduated from University College London with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, GP’s F1 journey began as a data engineer (a title now more commonly known as performance engineer) for Jordan. Within five years, he had become a Race Engineer, working with several drivers, including, in 2014, Checo who was then in his first year with what had become Force India. At the end of the season, however, GP opted for a move up the grid – to Red Bull Racing.
GP began his tenure with the team by working alongside Daniil Kvyat but following the Russian driver’s departure early in the 2016 season, he took on a new challenge, race engineering a fast-rising new star – Max Verstappen. Together the pair have formed a formidable partnership and in their nine years together they have helped to deliver some of the most successful campaigns in the Team’s history.