Jos Verstappen, the father of Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen, has opened up about his son’s future in the sport amid the exit announcement of his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase.
MotorBiscuit reported yesterday that Lambiase would part ways with Red Bull after the 2027 season to join McLaren in 2028 as part of a “multi-million-pound” deal.
However, Lambiase’s move could matter a great deal to Max, as they began working together in 2016 and share a unique bond that has contributed to their success, including Max’s four world championship titles.
Max has been frustrated with the current regulations, in which cars are powered equally by batteries and an internal combustion engine, which requires drivers to harvest energy during races by lifting off or through super clipping.
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Red Bull has also been struggling to extract performance from the RB22 F1 car, and Max hasn’t held himself back from saying that he could walk away from F1 if he didn’t enjoy Grand Prix racing anymore.
Not to forget Max’s comments at the end of the 2021 season, when he said he would quit if Lambiase left. RacingNews365 reported his statement:
“I told him that I only want to work with him. As soon as he stops, I stop too.”
Now though, after Lambiase’s McLaren announcement, Jos has opened up about what happened behind the scenes.
Speaking to RaceXpress, as quoted by RacingNews365, Jos said:
“We knew for a while and we also knew when it was going to happen. We have another year and a half to two years to work with him. It’s a huge opportunity for him, so we understand.
“We also told him to do it and grab it with both hands. Beyond that, it’s up to Red Bull to replace him. We will see.”
Speaking about whether Max would stay in F1 or not after Lambiase’s Red Bull exit, Jos added:
“I think things have changed.
“Certainly after four championships you have achieved a lot together, but that is up to Max. However, I think he will just continue.”
