Who are the 2026 Formula 1 race engineers? Full list as Gianpiero Lambiase set to leave Max Verstappen

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Formula 1 race engineers are the unseen architects of a driver’s weekend and among some of the sport’s most recognisable voices. F1 Oversteer looks at each engineer and their 2026 driver pairing.

One of the most critical roles in any Formula 1 team, the race engineer is a vital link between the driver and the pit wall. They are responsible for translating data, putting strategy decisions into action and providing drivers with crucial information whilst they speed around circuits at 200mph.

Every F1 driver works one-on-one with a dedicated race engineer over the course of an entire season, with a responsibility for providing a guiding voice whilst working under immense pressure.

Although fans hear race engineers far more often than they see them, some have become household names over the years, and their voices are etched into F1 history. Gianpiero Lambiase or ‘GP’ has been Max Verstappen’s constant since 2016, whilst Peter Bonnington famously partnered Lewis Hamilton throughout his 12-year Mercedes era.

The bond between a driver and their race engineer is crucial for success, built on trust, timing and total understanding. Radio messages must provide key information in real time, including pace comparisons, weather warnings, tyre management and split-second strategy decisions.

During the heat of battle, race engineers must remain ice-cool, with their ability to remain calm, reassure their driver and deliver crystal-clear information often the difference between victory or defeat.

F1 Oversteer has taken a look at each of the 2026 driver-race engineer pairings.

McLaren race engineers

Lando Norris – Will Joseph

• Years together – 7
• Engineer’s years in F1: 20

2025 world champion Lando Norris has had the constant voice of his race engineer, Will Joseph, in his ear since his McLaren debut in 2019. Alongside managing Norris’ race communications, Joseph also serves as the team’s director of race engineering, a more senior role which he has held since 2024.

Joseph’s journey at McLaren spans over two decades. He joined the team in 2006 as a rear suspension engineer, before progressing to a build engineer in 2010. Just two years later Joseph was promoted to trackside performance engineer and, along the way, working with some of Formula 1’s biggest names, including Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Pérez and Kevin Magnussen, before taking on the role of Fernando Alonso’s race engineer in 2017.

Oscar Piastri – Tom Stallard

• Years together – 3
• Engineer’s years in F1: 22

Oscar Piastri’s race engineer, Tom Stallard, has been with McLaren since 2008 and has worked with several drivers over the years, including Jenson Button, Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo. He was paired with Piastri when the Australian made his Formula 1 debut in 2023, and the two quickly developed a strong working relationship.

Before entering motorsport, Stallard was an accomplished athlete. He won a silver medal with Team GB’s rowing team at the 2008 Summer Olympics before transitioning into a career in Formula 1.

Mercedes race engineers

George Russell – Marcus Dudley

• Years together – 3
• Engineer’s years in F1: 18

Marcus Dudley was paired with George Russell for the Brit’s second season with Mercedes in 2023. Russell had previously worked with Riccardo Musconi during his debut year with the Silver Arrows in 2022, before the team switched him to Dudley the following season.

Dudley has been with Mercedes for more than a decade, having joined the team as a performance engineer in 2013. During his time with the squad, he has also stepped in as Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer on occasion, deputising for Peter Bonnington at the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix and the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.

He began his Formula 1 career as a mathematical modeller at Honda in 2006, but lost his role two years later when the Japanese manufacturer withdrew from the sport and the team was reformed as Brawn GP. After spending three years working as a performance engineer in GP2, Dudley returned to Formula 1 with Marussia in 2012.

Kimi Antonelli – Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington

• Years together – 1
• Engineer’s years in F1: 21

Peter Bonnington, better known as “Bono”, is arguably one of the most recognisable voices in Formula 1 after spending more than a decade working alongside Lewis Hamilton during the driver’s hugely successful spell with Mercedes from 2013 to 2024.

Bonnington began his F1 career with Jordan Grand Prix as a data engineer in 2004 before moving to Honda in 2006, where he worked under race engineer Andrew Shovlin. In that role he became Jenson Button’s performance engineer, remaining with the team through its transition into Brawn GP and playing a part in Button’s championship-winning 2009 season.

He later joined Mercedes, where he worked as Michael Schumacher’s performance engineer between 2011 and 2012 before the seven-time world champion retired for a second time. Bonnington was then promoted to race engineer for Hamilton, forming one of the most successful driver–engineer partnerships in the sport as the pair won six world championships together.

After 12 seasons working with Hamilton, Bonnington was reassigned in 2025 to work with rookie Kimi Antonelli following Hamilton’s move to Ferrari.

Red Bull race engineers

Max Verstappen – Gianpiero Lambiase

• Years together – 10
• Engineer’s years in F1: 20

Gianpiero Lambiase, better known as “GP”, is one of the most recognisable voices in Formula 1, having served as Max Verstappen’s race engineer since the Dutchman joined Red Bull in 2016. Their relationship has often been described as resembling an “old married couple” by former team principal Christian Horner, due to their occasionally heated radio exchanges during races.

Despite those fiery moments, the pair have built a strong level of trust that helped Verstappen secure four consecutive world titles. At the end of the 2025 season, Lambiase appeared emotional after Red Bull failed to retain the drivers’ championship, but Verstappen was quick to praise his engineer, saying: “I’m just very proud to be able to work with someone that good.”

Lambiase made his Formula 1 debut in 2005 and spent a decade with the team that evolved from Jordan into Midland, Spyker and eventually Force India. In 2008 he became Giancarlo Fisichella’s race engineer and later helped guide the Italian to Force India’s first podium at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix.

He joined Red Bull Racing in 2015 as Daniil Kvyat’s race engineer and remained in the role when Kvyat was replaced by Verstappen just five races into the 2016 season. Alongside his duties as Verstappen’s race engineer, Lambiase was promoted to Red Bull’s head of racing in 2025, replacing the departing Jonathan Wheatley.

After months of speculation surrounding Lambiase’s future at Red Bull, De Telegraaf reported in April 2026 that the iconic race engineer will leave the team at the end of 2027, with a move to McLaren expected in 2028.

Isack Hadjar – Richard Wood

• Years together – 0
• Engineer’s years in F1: 13

Isack Hadjar will be partnered with Richard Wood as he steps into Red Bull’s second seat for the 2026 season. Wood has been with the Milton Keynes-based team since 2012, working in engineering roles with the squad since the start of 2016.

He was promoted to performance engineer in 2021, working closely with Sergio Perez until the Mexican left the team at the end of 2024. During Perez’s final season, Wood also stepped in as race engineer at several races while the Mexican driver’s regular radio voice, Hugh Bird, was on paternity leave.

In 2025, Wood moved into a full-time race engineer role, initially working with Liam Lawson before the driver was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Ferrari race engineers

Charles Leclerc – Bryan Bozzi

• Years together – 2
• Engineer’s years in F1: 13

Charles Leclerc has worked with Bryan Bozzi since his Ferrari debut in 2019. Bozzi initially served as the Monegasque’s performance engineer before being promoted to race engineer midway through the 2024 season, replacing Xavier Marcos.

The change quickly paid dividends for Leclerc, who secured a home victory at the Monaco Grand Prix in just their second race together, before adding further wins in Italy and the United States later that season.

Bozzi has been part of the Maranello-based team since 2012, when he first joined Ferrari as a wind tunnel R&D engineer. Over the years, he progressed through the engineering ranks before stepping into his current role on Leclerc’s side of the garage.

Lewis Hamilton – Carlo Santi

• Years together – 0
• Engineer’s years in F1: 10+

Lewis Hamilton will temporarily work with former race engineer Carlo Santi at the start of the 2026 season after Ferrari moved his previous radio voice, Riccardo Adami, into a different role within the team.

Santi joined the Maranello-based squad as a model engineer before later becoming Kimi Räikkönen’s performance engineer during the Finn’s second spell with Ferrari in 2016 and 2017.

While it has not yet been officially confirmed, Hamilton is expected to eventually be paired with Cédric Michel-Grosjean, who left his role as Oscar Piastri’s lead trackside performance engineer at McLaren last season. The Frenchman is reportedly serving a period of gardening leave lasting between three and six months, although he was spotted in the paddock at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.

Williams race engineers

Alex Albon – James Urwin

• Years together – 4
• Engineer’s years in F1: 12

Alex Albon is heading into his fifth season working with race engineer James Urwin, who joined the Thai-British driver when he returned to Formula 1 with Williams in 2022. The pair have since developed a strong partnership at the Grove-based team.

Urwin joined Williams in 2014 as a performance engineer before stepping up to become race engineer for Lance Stroll and later George Russell.

Prior to moving into Formula 1, Urwin built his experience in junior and endurance categories, working as an engineer in GP2 with Super Nova Racing and Caterham Racing, as well as with Taurus Sports in both the European Le Mans Series and British GT.

Carlos Sainz – Gaetan Jego

• Years together – 1
• Engineer’s years in F1: 6

Gaetan Jego brings more than two decades of motorsport experience to Formula 1, including 14 years with ART where he worked across several categories such as GP2, GT, DTM and LMP1.

He joined Williams in 2019 as a race engineer before moving into a more senior position within the team, a role that has seen him work with drivers including Nicholas Latifi, Logan Sargeant, Franco Colapinto and now Carlos Sainz.

Following Sainz’s maiden podium with Williams at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Spaniard praised Jego as “the hardest worker I’ve ever worked with in Formula 1”. In 2025, the pair exceeded expectations in their first season together, securing two podium finishes as well as a sprint podium.

Racing Bulls race engineers

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Liam Lawson – Alexandre Iliopoulos

• Years together – 0
• Engineer’s years in F1: 10

Liam Lawson will be partnered with a new race engineer, Alexandre Iliopoulos, in 2026 after working with Ernesto Desiderio during the previous season.

Iliopoulos has been with the Faenza-based team since its Toro Rosso days, joining in 2016 as a trackside tyre performance engineer before being promoted to performance engineer in 2020.

Following the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Desiderio described Lawson as a “fighter” after what had been a challenging season for the New Zealander. The switch to Iliopoulos is reportedly part of Racing Bulls’ strategic approach to improving performance and competitiveness under Formula 1’s new regulations.

Arvid Lindblad – Pierre Hamelin

• Years together – 0
• Engineer’s years in F1: 15

It is no surprise that Racing Bulls have chosen to pair rookie Arvid Lindblad with the highly experienced Pierre Hamelin for his maiden Formula 1 season. Hamelin has been with the team since 2014 and has previously worked with drivers including Liam Lawson, Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly.

Before joining Toro Rosso in 2014, Hamelin worked in aerospace engineering, specialising in aircraft wing de-icing systems. He later moved into Formula 1 with Lotus, joining the team as a research and development engineer in mid-2009 before eventually making the switch to the Red Bull junior outfit.

Aston Martin race engineers

Fernando Alonso – Chris Cronin & Andrew Vizard

• Years together – 1 (Vizard)
• Engineer’s years in F1: Cronin (11) & Vizard (15)

For the 2026 season, Fernando Alonso will work with both Chris Cronin and Andrew Vizard as part of his race engineering team. Cronin, who previously worked with Alonso in 2023 and 2024, will step into the role of senior race engineer as part of Aston Martin’s internal restructure, while also serving as chief track engineer.

Cronin first joined the team in 2015 as Nico Hulkenberg’s performance engineer at Force India and remained through the outfit’s transitions to BWT Racing Point and eventually Aston Martin. Over the past decade he has worked with several drivers, including Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and Sergio Pérez.

Vizard has served as a race engineer since 2024 and worked directly with Alonso on a full-time basis last season. The Brit began his career in Formula 1 as a quality engineer at Red Bull in 2011 before moving on to roles with McLaren, Manor and Williams, eventually joining Aston Martin ahead of the 2023 season.

Lance Stroll – Gary Gannon & Stephen Glass

• Years together – 1 (Gannon)
• Engineer’s years in F1: Gannon (14) & Glass (7)

Aston Martin will implement a similar restructuring on Lance Stroll’s side of the garage, retaining Gary Gannon while adding Stephen Glass to the Canadian’s engineering team.

Gannon joined Aston Martin in 2025 after nearly a decade with Haas, where he worked as race engineer to drivers including Nico Hulkenberg, Mick Schumacher and Romain Grosjean.

Glass, meanwhile, has spent the past seven years with the Silverstone-based squad as a performance engineer. His motorsport career began in 2014, when he worked as a mechanic for Fortec Motorsport in the Formula Renault 2.0 championship before progressing into engineering roles.

Haas race engineers

Esteban Ocon – Laura Mueller

• Years together – 1
• Engineer’s years in F1: 4

In 2025, Laura Mueller made history by becoming the first woman to serve as a race engineer in Formula 1 when she was paired with Esteban Ocon following his move to Haas.

The German engineer previously built her experience in several sportscar and junior categories, including the World Endurance Championship, Formula Renault 2.0 and the European Le Mans Series. Before joining Haas, Mueller worked as a race engineer for Sophia Flörsch at ABT Sportsline in DTM.

She moved to the American team in 2022, initially working in the simulator department before progressing to a trackside engineering role.

Oliver Bearman – Ronan O’Hare

• Years together – 1
• Engineer’s years in F1: 18

Oliver Bearman will continue to work alongside Ronan O’Hare for a second season after the young Brit made his full-time Formula 1 debut in 2025.

The Irish engineer brings a wealth of experience to the role, having started his F1 career as a research engineer with Honda in 2007 and remaining with the team following its transformation into Brawn GP a year later.

Since then, O’Hare has worked with several teams across the grid, including Mercedes, Toro Rosso and Williams, collaborating with drivers such as Nico Hulkenberg, Nicholas Latifi and now Bearman.

Audi race engineers

Nico Hulkenberg – Steven Petrik

• Years together – 2
• Engineer’s years in F1: 10

Nico Hulkenberg will continue working with race engineer Steven Petrik as Sauber transitions into Audi for the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Petrik began his career with Ferrari in 2015 as part of the team’s engineering academy and quickly progressed through the ranks to become a performance engineer, a role he held for seven years.

He moved to Sauber in 2024, where he was initially paired with Valtteri Bottas for the Finn’s final season with the team before going on to work with Hulkenberg.

Gabriel Bortoleto – Jose Manuel Lopez

• Years together – 1
• Engineer’s years in F1: 10

Like Nico Hulkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto will retain his 2025 race engineer, Jose Manuel Lopez, for the 2026 season.

Lopez began his career in Formula 1 as a performance and test engineer, working with drivers such as Kevin Magnussen, Pietro Fittipaldi and Esteban Gutierrez. He later joined McLaren, where he worked closely with Lando Norris.

During his time with the Woking-based team, Lopez served as Norris’s performance engineer and even stepped in as race engineer during Will Joseph’s paternity leave in 2023.

Alpine race engineers

Pierre Gasly – Josh Peckett

• Years together – 0
• Engineer’s years in F1: 12

After working with John Howard for the previous two seasons, Pierre Gasly will have a new race engineer at Alpine in 2026, with Josh Peckett stepping into the role.

Peckett has been with the Enstone-based team for five years and previously served as Esteban Ocon’s race engineer before the Frenchman departed for Haas last season.

He began his Formula 1 career as a junior performance engineer with Marussia in 2013, later continuing with the team through its transition into Manor Racing. Peckett then joined Renault and remained with the outfit as it was rebranded as Alpine.

Franco Colapinto – Stuart Barlow

• Years together – 1
• Engineer’s years in F1: 8

After joining Alpine midway through the 2025 season, Franco Colapinto was partnered with race engineer Stuart Barlow, who will continue working with the Argentine in 2026. Barlow stepped into the role to replace Josh Peckett, who had previously been working with Jack Doohan.

Although he has spent eight years in Formula 1, seven of those with Alpine, Barlow brings extensive motorsport experience. He began his career as a data engineer with Collard Racing in 2002 before going on to enjoy significant success in endurance and American racing.

His achievements include two LMP1 class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 2012 World Endurance Championship drivers’ and constructors’ titles with Audi, and victory at the 2014 Indianapolis 500 with Andretti Autosport.

Cadillac race engineers

Sergio Perez – Carlo Pasetti

• Years together – 0
• Engineer’s years in F1: Unknown

Sergio Perez will return to the Formula 1 grid in 2026 with Cadillac as the American team makes its debut in the sport. The Mexican driver will be reunited with race engineer Carlo Pasetti, whom he previously worked with during his time at Racing Point.

Pasetti served as Perez’s performance engineer and played a key role in the driver securing his maiden Formula 1 victory at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. He remained with the team following its transition into Aston Martin before moving to Cadillac to take on the role of race engineer.

Valtteri Bottas – John Howard

• Years together – 0
• Engineer’s years in F1: 14

After 14 years with Alpine, John Howard will make the move to Cadillac in 2026 as Valtteri Bottas’ race engineer. Howard previously spent two seasons as Pierre Gasly’s race engineer at the Enstone-based team after being promoted from his role as senior performance engineer.