Lambiase Stays with Verstappen at Red Bull, Quashing Aston Martin Rumors

Gianpiero Lambiase will continue as Max Verstappen's race engineer at Red Bull for the 2026 season, quashing rumors of a move to a rival team. The highly respected engineer, who has been instrumental in Verstappen's four consecutive world titles, was reportedly in talks with Aston Martin for a senior management role. This decision provides a crucial layer of stability for the reigning champions as they enter a new era of Formula 1 with massive regulatory changes.

Why it matters:

The Verstappen-Lambiase partnership is the bedrock of Red Bull's recent dominance, and its continuity is vital as the team navigates the most significant rule changes in a generation. With Red Bull building its own power unit for the first time, maintaining the driver-engineer synergy that has delivered four world titles provides a critical advantage. Any disruption could have jeopardized their chances of hitting the ground running in 2026.

The details:

• Rumors in December linked Lambiase to a senior role, potentially Team Principal or CEO, at the Aston Martin F1 team.
• Speculation was fueled by Lambiase's emotional reaction on the pit wall after the final race in Abu Dhabi, where Verstappen narrowly lost the 2025 title by just two points to Lando Norris.
• Verstappen's final radio message, "we showed them one final time who’s boss," also added to the belief that their partnership was ending.
• The duo has worked together since Verstappen's promotion to the senior Red Bull team in 2016, forming one of the most successful driver-engineer pairings in F1 history.

What's next:

With the core driver-engineer dynamic secured, Red Bull can now fully focus on the monumental challenge of the 2026 season. The team is preparing to unveil its new livery for the upcoming season at a Ford-sponsored launch event in Detroit, marking the beginning of a new chapter. The true test will be whether their in-house Red Bull Powertrains unit, developed in collaboration with Ford, can match the performance and reliability that has defined their championship-winning years.