Max Verstappen set to retain Gianpiero Lambiase as race engineer

Gianpiero Lambiase is set to remain in place as Max Verstappen's race engineer for the 2026 F1 season amid speculation over his future.

After the season finale last Sunday in Abu Dhabi where Verstappen narrowly missed out on a fifth title, Lambiase was visibly emotional on the pit wall.

The 45-year-old already missed two races this year - Austria and Belgium - for personal reasons, with Simon Rennie stepping in to replace him.

Reports have since detailed that Lambiase will not travel to races in 2026 due to his personal circumstances and instead will continue to work from Red Bull's Milton Keynes base.

However, RacingNew365 understands that this is not true and Lambiase will remain in place as Verstappen's race engineer in 2026.

Lambiase has been Verstappen's right-hand man ever since the Dutchman joined the Milton Keynes-based squad at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

The pair have enjoyed monumental success together, including 71 grand prix wins and four F1 titles.

While Lambiase is due to stay put, there is heavy speculation that Helmut Marko will not be part of Red Bull's set-up in 2026.

Marko's exit would mark another major loss from the squad after the departures of key figures such as Christian Horner, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley in recent times.