Aston Martin Targets Verstappen's Engineer Lambiase for Senior Role
Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen's long-time race engineer, is in talks with Aston Martin for a senior management role. The potential move would reunite him with Adrian Newey and deal another significant blow to Red Bull's shrinking team structure.
Max Verstappen's long-time race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, is in discussions with Aston Martin about a senior management role, signaling a potential high-profile defection from Red Bull. The move would reunite the highly respected 'GP' with design genius Adrian Newey at Silverstone, creating a powerful new leadership team aiming to challenge for F1 championships from 2026.
Why it matters:
Losing Lambiase would be a significant blow to Red Bull, not just in terms of engineering talent but also in team stability around their star driver amidst a period of internal turmoil. For Aston Martin, securing him would be a major statement of intent, pairing Newey's design prowess with a proven race strategist and manager as they build a team capable of winning titles.
The details:
- High-level sources confirm talks have taken place between Lambiase and Aston Martin for a senior position, potentially at team principal or CEO level, as part of a revamped structure for 2026.
- The move is strategically linked to Adrian Newey's impending arrival. Newey has emphasized his desire to focus purely on car design, making a strong operational manager like Lambiase an ideal partner to handle team leadership and prevent him from being bogged down by administrative duties.
- Red Bull's Position: The team is expected to fight hard to retain Lambiase, a key member of Verstappen's inner circle who has been instrumental in his four World Championships since 2016.
- Verstappen's Praise: After the Abu Dhabi GP, Verstappen publicly lauded Lambiase for his passion during a difficult personal year, highlighting the strong personal and professional bond between the two.
What's next:
Lambiase's potential departure is part of a larger exodus of key personnel from Red Bull, with motorsport advisor Helmut Marko retiring and chief mechanic Matt Caller leaving for Audi. Should Lambiase depart, Simon Rennie, who previously deputized for him during his absence last season, is the logical choice to step in as Verstappen's race engineer. While no deal is done, this potential transfer could be one of the most consequential off-track moves of the silly season, significantly reshaping the leadership and competitive dynamics heading into the new 2026 regulations.