Max Verstappen Reacts To His Race Engineer's Promotion After Red Bull Exits

Saajan Jogia | Sep 19, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (NED) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Max Verstappen has praised Red Bull’s decision to promote his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase to the head of racing. Despite taking on additional responsibilities and overseeing other staff, Lambiase will continue in his role as Verstappen’s race engineer.

Amid a challenging period with high-profile exits, Christian Horner's team opted to promote from within, assigning existing staff to fill vacant roles. This strategy allows Red Bull to bypass external hires, while empowering internal talent to take on more responsibility, keeping the team motivated and engaged.

Two of the most prominent departures include chief technical officer Adrian Newey, who is scheduled to join Aston Martin in March 2025, followed by the departure of sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, who is slated for a move to Sauber/Audi mid-next year.

Red Bull has yet to officially announce the changes, but staff were briefed on the updates ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. The most significant change is Lambiase's promotion, where he will oversee the team's racing operations and manage his subordinates.

Under Lambiase, Richard Wolverson, formerly a senior engineer of car engineering, has been appointed as head of racing operations. Senior strategy engineer Stephen Knowles has transitioned into the newly created role of head of sporting regulations, where he will oversee the team’s compliance with F1 regulations and act as the primary liaison with the FIA.

As Formula 1 arrived in Singapore, Verstappen was asked if Lambiase's added responsibilities were of concern to him. He told the media:

"No, it doesn't.

"He already did more than just being my race engineer anyway, so I think it's well thought out and basically spreads the workload a bit. For me, that's fine."

Amid the recent staff exits, Horner highlighted the importance of structural changes to prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. He told the media:

“We are in the midst of a period of significant change and development at Oracle Red Bull Racing, and in light of the challenges to come, we have made the decision to alter the structure of the race team.

“The appointments will serve to give us greater capacity across a number of crucial areas and ultimately will, I believe, make the team more competitive.

“For me, it is especially rewarding to have promoted people from within. We have a huge resource of exceptionally talented people at Oracle Red Bull Racing and I am delighted that we can give them the opportunity to shine in roles that were not previously open. It’s a step forward for the team as a whole.”