Max Verstappen’s race engineer faces a difficult year – Gianpiero Lambiase has endured one of the most challenging seasons of his career. The long-time race engineer of Max Verstappen missed several Grands Prix in 2025 due to personal circumstances, prompting concern and speculation within the Formula 1 paddock.
Verstappen himself acknowledged that it had been a tough period for his trusted partner on the pit wall. However, the reasons behind Lambiase’s absence remained private until recently.
Lambiase and Verstappen share one of the closest working relationships in Formula 1. The Red Bull Racing driver has often described his race engineer as more of a friend than a colleague, highlighting the deep trust that underpins their success. When Lambiase was forced to miss two races during the season, Verstappen openly expressed his sympathy, stressing that some matters were far more important than motorsport.
Speculation and emotional scenes in Abu Dhabi
The uncertainty surrounding Lambiase intensified after the season finale in Abu Dhabi. As the race concluded, cameras caught the race engineer visibly emotional at the pit wall, breaking down in tears. This quickly fuelled rumours about his future at Red Bull Racing.
Some reports suggested that he could be moving into a new, less travel-intensive role within the team, while others linked him with potential moves to Aston Martin or Williams.
A recurring theme in these rumours was the possibility that Lambiase might step away from the relentless travel demands of being a full-time race engineer on the pit wall. With Formula 1’s busy calendar and global schedule, such a change seemed plausible, especially in light of Verstappen’s earlier comments about Lambiase experiencing a “terrible situation”. Nevertheless, neither Red Bull nor Lambiase provided any definitive answers at the time, leaving the paddock to speculate.
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Rumours around Aston Martin
According to a report by The Race, high-ranking sources within Formula 1 believe that Lambiase has recently held talks with Aston Martin. The British team, which has made no secret of its ambition to win championships in the long term, is said to be exploring the possibility of offering the 45-year-old Italian a significant leadership role.
The report suggests that Aston Martin sees Lambiase not merely as a race engineer, but as a senior figure capable of shaping the team’s competitive direction. Such a move would represent a significant increase in responsibility and influence, as well as being a clear indication of Aston Martin’s intent to strengthen its management structure ahead of the next regulatory era.
Verstappen’s support and understanding
Throughout the season, Verstappen made it clear where his priorities lay. He consistently emphasised that he fully understood Lambiase’s situation and supported his decisions unconditionally. The four-time world champion reiterated that personal matters must always take precedence over racing, offering a rare but poignant reminder of the human side of Formula 1.
Their partnership, forged through years of shared pressure and success, appeared unaffected professionally. Whenever Lambiase was present, the familiar calm and direct communication between driver and engineer remained intact, reinforcing why the pair are regarded as one of the strongest in the sport.
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Lambiase’s wife provides clarity
The mystery surrounding Lambiase’s challenging year was finally resolved when his wife addressed the situation in a heartfelt Facebook post. She revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer some time ago, explaining the personal challenges that the family has been facing.
Alongside her message, she shared a video from Ro & Mary’s Bakery, which had made cupcakes to thank the medical staff involved in her treatment.
In her caption, she expressed deep gratitude, thanking the medical team, friends, and family for their love, kindness, and compassion. She acknowledged that the journey was not yet over. Nevertheless, her message was one of strength and resilience.
The bakery also offered words of encouragement, noting that she had reached a significant milestone in her recovery. This message offered a rare piece of good news after a difficult year, shedding light on the emotional scenes witnessed in Abu Dhabi and explaining Lambiase’s absence.
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Ferrari are looking to bounce back strongly in 2026 after a hugely disappointing season saw them winless for the first time in four years. Formula one winless seasons in Maranello are less rare than many may think, with the Scuderia recording their 17th in 75 years.
The longest spell the Italian racing marque went without a win was from 1991-1994 and spanned 58 Grand Prix. The drought was finally ended by driver Gerhard Berger who won his home race in Hockenheim at the 1994 German Grand Prix.
2025 saw the fanfare arrival of Lewis Hamilton’s in January who was afforded a personalised tour of the facilities by group chairman John Elkann. And it was he who was credited in the Italian media with landing the seven tines F1 champion to restore Ferrari’s fortunes.
Ferrari suffering longest F1 championship drought
Yet it was not to be and the Scuderia have now extended their drought of constructor championship years to seventeen years, one longer than their previous worst era between 1983-1999. In terms of a drivers’ title, its now eighteen years since Kimi Raikkonen pipped both Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton to the post by a single point. The team’s longest winless streak for this championship is 21 years from 1979 (Jodie Scheckter) to 2000 (Michael Schumacher).
With Formula One’s biggest shakeup of the technical regulations in its history, expectations are high in Maranello for a Ferrari reset. With both new power units and chassis slated for 2026, a change in the pecking order is…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
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