Max Verstappen speaks candidly about 'shitty' Gianpiero Lambiase situation

Max Verstappen has candidly reflected on the "shitty situation" affecting his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase across the 2025 season. 

Lambiase has worked with Verstappen since he was promoted to Red Bull in 2016, with the two forging one of the most iconic driver-engineer relationships, akin to Lewis Hamilton and Peter Bonnington at Mercedes.

Lambiase was forced to miss the Austrian and Belgian Grands Prix in 2025 due to personal circumstances, with Daniel Ricciardo's former engineer Simon Rennie deputising. 

Detailing how Lambiase has managed to cope with the situation at home and the demands of his various responsibilities as head of racing, head of track engineering and as Verstappen's race engineer, Verstappen explained how he had tried to support his long-time ally.

"He has had a very difficult year and still does," Verstappen told Viaplay. 

"That is very difficult. Actually, I didn't quite realise how hard that is for him to do his job and continue life at home. I don't know, that's very hard to describe.

"You sometimes hear on the radio that we have our moments, and then I sometimes think afterwards: 'Should I have actually done that?' But you're so adept at it together; he is too. 

"He does his best on the track as well, but then you've had the weekend, you go back to your home situation, and you think: 'Fuck off with Formula 1 for a while.'

"I can't quite understand what he's going through himself, either, but you can try, of course. 

"My father has also seen him a few times, in London, for example, and then you talk about it. Of course, I know a little bit about what's going on in the background, but you also don't want to ask about it all the time.

"You're busy with the racing, but you can't do anything about it yourself either.

"I asked: 'Do you need anything? If you need something, say so, and then we'll try to arrange it.'

"Anything needed can be arranged. But it's just a shitty situation."

After the final race, Lambiase was seen to be in tears on the pit-wall, as Verstappen explained how he wanted to comfort his engineer, but was not able to.

"Of course, I also saw that he was very emotional," he continued.

"He always takes it very personally that we didn't win, and after the race, I actually really wanted to go to him, but there are so many people and chaos, then you can't find a moment to do it."