Verstappen faces Austrian GP without his main race engineer

Max Verstappen faces a new challenge at the Austrian GP — for the first time since joining Red Bull, he must race without his trusted engineer Gianpiero Lambiase who is absent for personal reasons.

Simon Rennie — a Formula 1 veteran with over two decades of experience — has been appointed as temporary replacement. Rennie has a strong track record in F1 — he previously handled Fernando Alonso at Renault and Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus before joining Red Bull.

“Of course I’m aware of the situation,” stated Verstappen to Dutch media. “We’ll see how much impact this upgrade package can make. There are a few races where opportunities still exist, after which we’ll evaluate our position.”

This moment becomes crucial for Red Bull team — it represents the final development opportunity before fully focusing on 2026 regulations. Lambiase is scheduled to return for next week’s British GP.

Verstappen who has won five races in Spielberg acknowledges that turning the season around is “not very realistic”, although the Red Bull Ring suits his racing style.