Verstappen's Future Unaffected by Lambiase's Move

Max Verstappen's future in Formula 1 remains unchanged despite the upcoming departure of his longtime race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, according to Red Bull team principal, Laurent Mekies. Lambiase, who has been a vital part of Verstappen's career since he joined Red Bull in May 2016, is set to take on the role of chief racing officer at McLaren by 2028.

Mekies stated that Lambiase's exit is "absolutely not" influencing Verstappen's decision regarding his future in Formula 1, especially considering Verstappen's expressed dissatisfaction with the performance and handling of the new hybrid engines introduced this season. "We speak with Max every day, and Max knows motorsport upside down. He's living and breathing this team," Mekies explained.

Verstappen has openly criticized the new hybrid engines, particularly their 50-50 balance between internal combustion and electric power, which he claims has compromised the driving experience. In light of this, Mekies acknowledged that the recent rule changes for the Miami Grand Prix aim to address several driver concerns, including a return to more straightforward, high-speed driving during qualifying as opposed to reliance on energy management strategies.

"We don't think it’s changing any pecking order. Nobody pretends it’s going to fix everything, but it’s a good step," Mekies noted regarding the adjustments. He cited collaboration with McLaren's team principal Andrea Stella, who highlighted the need for further hardware changes to truly rectify the current shortcomings of the engine formula.

In a potential bid to enhance the performance of the hybrid engines, discussions are reportedly underway among F1 executives to alter the fuel-flow rate, optimizing the internal combustion engine's output to a 60:40 ratio. Stella emphasized the importance of these future changes, seeking a more favorable operating condition that could minimize compromise from a both driving and chassis standpoint.

As the 2026 season progresses, Red Bull is gearing up for the Miami Grand Prix scheduled for May 1-3, with the race set for 21:00 BST on Sunday. Verstappen currently sits ninth in the championship standings after a challenging start to the season, including a narrow title defeat to McLaren's Lando Norris last year. Red Bull plans to roll out significant upgrades for the Miami event following cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.

Despite the efforts, Mekies admitted that while they have made progress in consistency, they still face a significant challenge to reach the performance benchmarks set by leading competitors like Mercedes. "It’s impossible to know how we fit into the classifications, but in terms of giving a more consistent product to our drivers, I’m confident we have made some progress," he concluded.