Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase reportedly set to be promoted by Red Bull

It is being reported that Max Verstappen's race engineer GP Lambiase is set to be promoted by the Red Bull F1 team in the 2025 season. The Austrian team has been going through organizational changes this year with CTO Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley set to leave at the end of the 2024 season.

Whilst Newey's exit was made public in May, Wheatley's exit announcement caught everyone by surprise as he departs the Milton-Keynes outfit to join the Audi F project as its team principal next year.

Wheatley was a key member of Red Bull's success in the sport as team manager and Sporting Director during his 18-year tenure with the team. Ahead of the 2024 season, there were rumblings that the 57-year-old may become the team principal of Red Bull if allegations of ''inappropriate behavior'' against Christian Horner were found to be true. The succession plans never took flight as Horner continued to be retained.

As per Autosport, Red Bull may look to promote Max Verstappen's race engineer and head of engineering Gianpiero Lambiase along with another senior figure acting as team manager. It remains unclear if he will get promoted within the team, would Lambiase continue as race engineer to the 26-year-old.

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Max Verstappen shared details on relationship with GP Lambiase

Red Bull driver and three-time world champion Max Verstappen stated that despite their heated discussions on the team radio and blunt responses toward each other, he and GP Lambiase get on very well off the track.

As per F1.com, the Dutch driver shared illumined parts of his dynamic with the Anglo-Italian and said after the 2023 US Grand Prix:

“We always get along very well. Of course, in the heat of the moment, I let him know that I wasn’t very happy that he was talking under the braking. The race was done, and he had to catch a flight already, on the in lap, back home, so he said I’ll see you Friday and people then said oh he’s very p*****d off. Whatever, we always get on well.”

While appearing on the Talking Bulls podcast, Lambiase gave his take on his dynamic with Verstappen and added:

“I think what’s really important is just to be able to be yourself. I think Max feels he can be himself with me, I can be myself around him, and there’s no tiptoeing around any issues at all."

“If we have to be blunt about something with each other, we will be, and I think that just fast-tracks you to short-term gains, which ultimately is maximizing the potential of the car during a race weekend,” he added.

Lambiase has been on the radio for every Verstappen race win since the 2016 season.