Red Bull F1 News: Jos Verstappen responds to Gianpiero Lambiase exit with ‘replacement’ warning

Red Bull

Jos Verstappen responds to Lambiase Red Bull exit with ‘replacement’ warning

Gianpiero Lambiase has been Max Verstappen's race engineer since 2016

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 10 April 2026 21:54

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Max Verstappen's father, Jos Verstappen, has reacted to the upcoming departure of his son's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

It was announced earlier this week that Lambiase would be leaving Red Bull when his contract comes to an end in 2028, before McLaren confirmed in an official statement that he would be joining them as their chief racing officer.

Lambiase will work alongside team principal Andrea Stella as part of a restructured McLaren management team, bringing to an end a Red Bull partnership for the Brit that has been ongoing since 2015.

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Verstappen has worked with Lambiase since he started at Red Bull back in 2016, and has built up a close relationship with his race engineer, who is also the head of racing at Red Bull.

Now, Verstappen's father Jos has revealed that he and his four-time champion son already knew about Lambiase's departure, and that he expects Red Bull to get it right when looking for his replacement.

Although close friends off the track, Max Verstappen and Lambiase are often heard in fiery radio exchanges during F1 race weekends, with the Dutch racer not one to hide his frustrations.

Speaking to RaceExpress, Jos Verstappen was asked about Lambiase's impending departure, to which he replied: "We have known for a while, and we also knew when it was going to happen.

"We still have a year and a half to two years to work with him. It is a huge opportunity for him. We have also said that we understand and that he has to do it. As for the rest, it is up to Red Bull to replace him."

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What F1 roles has Lambiase held?

Lambiase joined Red Bull back in 2015, and was the race engineer for former Red Bull star Daniil Kvyat. His career in F1 started long before that, however.

While he is best known for his work at Red Bull, Lambiase also worked for the Silverstone-based outfit for 11 years, who in that time were known as Jordan, Midland, Spyker and Force India.

His first gig as a race engineer came in 2010 at Force India with Vitantonio Liuzzi, before working at the same team with Paul di Resta and Sergio Perez.

Lambiase's current position at Red Bull is the most senior that he has held in his F1 career to date, being promoted to head of racing back in 2024 while still performing his duties as Verstappen's race engineer.

His new McLaren position - which he will start in 2028 - will be even more senior than that, working almost as a deputy to team principal Stella.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Jos Verstappen Gianpiero Lambiase