Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is to be promoted to the brand-new role at Red Bull, as the Milton Keynes squad undergoes a restructuring of its trackside team.
The British-Italian, who joined the team from Force India in 2015, will move to the brand-new role of Head of Racing, having also been the Head of Race Engineering for the past two years.
Despite now being responsible for all of the team’s racing activities, he will continue as Verstappen’s race engineer, a role he has held since the Dutchman made his debut with the team in 2016, replacing Daniil Kvyat, with whom Lambiase previously worked.
Lambiase’s promotion comes amid the hand that has been forced on Red Bull, with the team losing key figures Adrian Newey to Aston Martin and Jonathan Wheatley to Audi respectively.
Wheatley, who will leave his role as Sporting Director upon the conclusion of the 2024 season to become the German marque’s Team Principal in 2026, leaves a vacancy which will not be filled by one individual, with his responsibilities spread across several people.
Lambiase will work closely with Senior Strategy Engineer Stephen Knowles, who will also be moved into a new role, Head of Sporting Regulations.
Knowles will be entrusted to be the team’s go-between with the FIA and ensure the team will adhere to all of the governing body’s rules.
Senior engineer of car engineering Richard Wolverson will move to another new position – Head of Racing Operations – with head of freight operations Gerard O’Reilly taking on full responsibility for the team’s logistics.
It is understood that Red Bull’s personnel were informed of these changes at a briefing earlier Wednesday morning.
Lambiase has been a longstanding figure within Formula 1, having been given his big break by Jordan in 2005.
He was omnipresent within the various takeovers of the team, firstly by Midland, then Spyker, followed by Force India, and rose through the ranks to become an engineer to various drivers, including Giancarlo Fisichella.
As performance engineer, he would help the Italian veteran to a pole position and a podium at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix.
