Max Verstappen has dismissed any worries regarding the impact of his long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase’s recent promotion on their collaborative work. Lambiase will continue to serve as Verstappen’s race engineer while also taking on a new role at Red Bull.
Earlier in September, it was announced that Lambiase will become Head of Racing as part of a restructuring within the team. This change follows the news that Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley will leave next year to become Team Principal at Sauber/Audi.
In his new position, Lambiase will oversee all trackside activities. Red Bull has chosen to distribute Wheatley’s responsibilities among several current staff members rather than directly replacing him. Lambiase will maintain his role as Verstappen’s race engineer, a position he has held since the Dutch driver joined the team in 2016.
During the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen was asked if he was worried that Lambiase’s increased responsibilities might affect their race engineering collaboration.
Lambiase has acted as Verstappen’s race engineer since the Dutchman joined Red Bull in 2016
“No, it doesn’t,” Verstappen clarified. “He was already handling more than just my race engineer duties, so I think this change is well-considered and helps to distribute the workload a bit. So, for me, that’s perfectly fine.”
Aside from that, Verstappen is now concentrating on how the team can improve on the track in the final six races of the season, especially after being surpassed by McLaren at the top of the constructors’ standings.
After a brief break in the schedule, the United States Grand Prix will begin a series of three races in a row, followed by another trio of Grands Prix to wrap up the season.
When asked if the race in Austin could be a pivotal moment in shaping the championship outlook, Verstappen replied, “I don’t know if it’s a make-or-break situation, but from here on out, we certainly want to make progress.”
“I’m not sure when or how it will happen, but we’re focused on restoring the balance. I believe Baku was a small step forward, so we need to keep moving in that direction.
“And while we can’t implement much from Baku here in Singapore, I’m hopeful that with the two to three weeks we have after this weekend, we can make further improvements.
“There are still a few rounds left where I think we can enhance the car, which will also benefit us for next year.”