Max Verstappen would find it ‘very difficult to accept’ not working with one key Red Bull figure

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Max Verstappen has faced a turbulent few months at Red Bull. The Milton Keynes outfit have lost several key figures since the 2024 season.

The Dutchman claimed his fourth consecutive title last season after winning seven of the opening 10 races. McLaren established an advantage at the halfway point and dethroned Red Bull as the fastest package, but Verstappen’s gap at the front was too great.

A key reason for Red Bull’s regression in performance was the departure of legendary designer Adrian Newey, who left for Aston Martin. Other figures such as Jonathan Wheatley, Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay also left, throwing the team into turmoil.

Rumours also suggested that Helmut Marko could leave Red Bull, which could have led to a catastrophic situation. Verstappen had an exit clause in his contract that allowed him to leave the team if the Austrian left, but it never materialised.

The 27-year-old put all the drama behind him and won the championship in 2024, but in 2025, he faces a much bigger problem as the RB21 has proved difficult to drive. Winning just two races and sitting over 100 points behind Oscar Piastri, Verstappen has been frustrated by the car’s development.

Red Bull sacked team principal Christian Horner after the British GP, with it being believed to be due to the team’s poor results, although the real reason has not been confirmed. Amid all the personnel that have left Milton Keynes, Verstappen would not accept losing another close ally.

Max Verstappen would find it ‘very difficult to accept’ swapping his Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase

Speaking with the official Red Bull YouTube channel, Verstappen sat down with Red Bull-backed F1 Academy driver Alisha Palmowski, where she discussed working with a new race engineer in 2025.

When the Brit asked the four-time F1 champion about working with his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, he said that he would find it ‘very difficult to accept’ working with someone else, due to the relationship the pair have built over the years.

“If you would tell me right now I need to swap race engineer, I think that’s a very difficult thing to accept, just because of when you have a good relationship with your engineer,” he said.

“I almost don’t need to speak because he knows exactly what I need or want from the car. And I think you can hear it on the radio. Of course, we have our fiery comments here and there.

“But I think it actually works really well for us. But besides that, yeah, in very difficult situations in the race, I think we can always get the most out of it.

“With a race engineer it is not always the easiest, especially when you’re new.

“So I think the more time you get to spend time together during a race weekend or when you’re practising on the simulator, going for dinners, [it’s] also good outside of the racing environment, just getting to know the person. I think that always helps.”

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Max Verstappen has enjoyed incredible success with Gianpiero Lambiase at Red Bull

Verstappen has worked with Lambiase at Red Bull since he was promoted to the team in place of Daniil Kvyat in 2016. Their partnership was an immediate success as the Dutchman became F1’s youngest winner on his Red Bull debut at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Lambiase has since helped guide Verstappen to 65 wins, 118 podiums, 44 pole positions and four world championships, creating one of the most formidable partnerships in the paddock.

Lambiase says Verstappen must be ‘frightening’ for his rivals with how he continues to improve. Even this year, when he has a slower car, he is extracting the absolute maximum out of the car and putting it in places it should not be.

As the Dutchman mentions, things can get heated between the pair, as seen many times over F1 broadcasts. Lambiase and Verstappen didn’t talk for four days after Budapest in 2024, where the latter had many outbursts over the radio, complaining about his car’s setup.

But it clearly works well for the duo and they have all the stats to prove it. They will be hoping to return to the front of F1 under the new technical regulations in 2026.