StadiumPosts Logo
Stay upto date with notifications from Stadiumposts
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences

GIANPIERO LAMBIASE OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED AS MAX VERSTAPPEN’S RACE ENGINEER FOR 2026

GianPiero Lambiase is confirmed for Red Bull 2026. Discover why Max Verstappen calls his race engineer his "best friend" and ally.

GianPiero Lambiase officially confirmed as Max Verstappen’s race engineer for 2026
Verstappen and Lambiase reunite for 2026

Max Verstappen says his connection with GianPiero Lambiase goes way beyond the usual driver-engineer relationship. He doesn’t just see him as a colleague—he calls him a friend.

He shared these thoughts right after clinching victory at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. At the time, nobody knew if Lambiase would stick with Red Bull or head off to Aston Martin. Now, with Red Bull confirming Lambiase will stay on for 2026, Verstappen’s words feel even more meaningful.

Lambiase has been by Verstappen’s side since May 2016, and their partnership started strong—winning their very first race together at the Spanish Grand Prix. Since then, they’ve picked up four consecutive world titles from 2021 to 2024.

This past season, Verstappen just missed out on a fifth championship. Lando Norris edged him out by two points at the Abu Dhabi finale. After the race, Lambiase looked crushed on the pit wall, holding back tears. People started to wonder if he was about to leave Verstappen behind for 2026.

At one point, it seemed like Lambiase might move into a behind-the-scenes role or even jump ship to Aston Martin, which had their eye on him for a senior position. But as of this week, Red Bull confirmed he’s staying put, keeping his race engineer job and head of racing duties for next season.

In the press conference after Abu Dhabi, Verstappen didn’t hide how much Lambiase means to him. “He’s my friend,” Max said. “I’m really proud to work with someone that good.”

He went on, “It’s been an emotional year. Forget about the results. I won’t get into all the details, but it’s been tough. I’m just happy I get to work with someone so passionate. Yeah, he’s my race engineer, but honestly, he’s my friend. We’ve been through so much together—the highs and the lows. I’m sure he was emotional after the race. I can’t wait to catch up with him, because this year hasn’t been easy for him. He’s a real example of someone who never gave up, even when things got rough.”

Now that Lambiase’s future is settled, Red Bull can focus on what’s coming next. The 2026 F1 season is bringing some of the biggest rule changes ever—half-electric powertrains, fully sustainable fuels, and active aerodynamics. Red Bull will build its own engines for the first time, working with Ford through its Powertrains division.

Next week, Red Bull and Racing Bulls will show off their 2026 car liveries at a Ford launch event in Detroit. The new Red Bull RB22 is set to run pushrod suspension at both the front and back, and Ferrari’s going down the same path for their 2026 car. Most teams are likely to use this double-pushrod setup—it should make the cars more predictable as F1 ditches the ground-effect designs used from 2022 to 2025. Plus, it helps fit the new, more complex engines into the cars.

FRED VASSEUR SLAMS "ENOUGH WITH THIS STORY" OVER LEWIS HAMILTON’S ENGINEER DRAMA

Lewis Hamilton calls engineer change "detrimental." Get the latest on Carlo Santi, Cedric Michel-Grosjean, and Vasseur's defense.

top-news
Lewis Hamilton Is Starting 2026 Without A Race Engineer

Lewis Hamilton heads into his second season with Ferrari, but he still doesn’t have a new race engineer lined up. Team boss Fred Vasseur doesn’t seem too worried, though. He brushed off the drama around Hamilton’s situation, saying it’s not really a big deal.

Last year, Hamilton worked alongside Ricardo Adami during his debut season with Ferrari, but they’ve already parted ways ahead of the 2026 season. Even though the new season’s just a couple of weeks away, Ferrari hasn’t named a permanent replacement.

People questioned how well Hamilton and Adami actually communicated last season, especially when Hamilton’s frustration came through on team radio. Now, with Hamilton needing to build a new working relationship, Vasseur insists it’s not creating any bad vibes.

“That’s not exactly what’s happening,” Vasseur told reporters, including those from RacingNews365. “The teamwork between Lewis and everyone on the pit wall is really strong. He’s confident, he’s open, and honestly, I feel good about where things stand. The whole goal is just to keep getting better, day by day. If there’s something to improve, I’ll push for it, but Lewis is in a great mindset.”

During pre-season testing, Hamilton teamed up with Carlo Santi, who used to engineer for Kimi Raikkonen. Meanwhile, rumours are swirling that Ferrari wants to hire Cedric Michel-Grosjean, who just left McLaren, to take over as Hamilton’s race engineer. But Vasseur is clearly tired of the speculation.

When someone brought it up yet again, he cut them off. “Please, enough with this story,” he said. “Look around the paddock. Out of 22 cars, you’ll see six or seven new engineers every year; the same goes for team principals. Honestly, I’m probably the oldest one here, along with Toto Wolff. Teams swap out three or four team principals a year, and it’s not the end of the world.

“There are about 1,500 people in the team now. It’s never just about one race engineer. The person on the pit wall leads a whole group working on the car, so it’s not about individuals. In Formula 1, it’s always about the team. It never comes down to just one person.”

CHARLES LECLERC WARNS F1 OVERTAKING IS "EXTREMELY DIFFICULT" UNDER NEW 2026 REGULATIONS

Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon flagged "difficult" passing in 2026 testing. Discover why the 50/50 power split is a strategic nightmare.

top-news
What Charles Leclerc Really Means By "Costly" Overtakes In 2026

Charles Leclerc isn’t sugarcoating it: overtaking looks like a real challenge under the new regulations, and the cost of trying is way higher than before.

Max Verstappen kicked off the complaints about the rules, since now so much depends on how well drivers handle their battery levels. The big change is the 50/50 power split between the internal combustion engine and the battery. That’s forced drivers to rethink everything; they’re saving battery instead of just going flat out for speed.

We’ve just come out of an era where ground effect cars made overtaking tough because of all the dirty air, and honestly, it doesn’t sound like things are getting any easier. No one’s raced for points yet, but after testing in Bahrain, the mood in the paddock isn’t exactly upbeat.

Esteban Ocon was quick to sound the alarm. After following a few cars in testing, he noticed he lost a lot of front grip, maybe even more than last year. He tried the overtake mode but didn’t want to jump to conclusions too soon. Still, his gut feeling? Passing looks tough.

Leclerc agrees. He says he’s on the same page as the other drivers. Right now, overtaking is extremely hard. Maybe with time, as everyone learns how to manage these situations, it’ll get better. But at the moment, every overtake comes at a much steeper battery cost than before. That means even if you pull off a move, getting away from the car behind isn’t as simple as it was last year. It’s just tricky.

When asked about the new rules overall, Leclerc isn’t quite as downbeat as Verstappen, but he admits something’s missing. He’s always loved the aggressive, attacking style of the older F1 cars, and he feels like there’s less of that now. The changes are huge; everything feels completely different from what he’s known in his career. But he does see progress. The cars are getting better, and everyone’s still learning, trying to figure out all the new systems and how to squeeze out the best performance. There’s a lot of work ahead, but things are moving in the right direction.

Premier League Standings

WhatsApp Read More News