Source:REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
[Saba Sports News] Multiple sources indicate that Gianpiero Lambiase, who has long served as Max Verstappen’s race engineer, is in talks with the Aston Martin team regarding a potential joining before the 2026 season. If this deal goes through, it will be a significant personnel change surrounding Verstappen’s core team and will alter the atmosphere in the paddock before the new regulations era begins. Since Verstappen was promoted to the main team in 2016, Lambiase has become his most trusted engineer, accompanying him to four world championships. In the final race of the 2025 season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen narrowly missed his fifth world championship by just two points, leading to an emotionally charged scene in the pit lane with Lambiase, which has sparked speculation. Recent reports suggest that he is not transitioning to another role within Red Bull Racing but is instead in preliminary negotiations with Aston Martin for a senior position. In my view, with the 2026 F1 season set to bring both power and chassis innovations, and Aston Martin initiating a new collaboration with Honda, introducing a key figure who combines frontline execution and strategic vision clearly aligns with Aston Martin’s ambitions for the new season and regulatory cycle.