Jos Verstappen breaks silence on Max’s F1 future

Jos Verstappen has sought to ease concerns about his son Max’s Formula 1 future following another significant change within Red Bull Racing, as first reported by SportBible.

The team confirmed that Gianpiero Lambiase Max Verstappen’s race engineer since his arrival in 2016 will leave to take up a senior role at McLaren, bringing an eventual end to a highly successful working relationship.

While Red Bull say Lambiase will remain until his contract expires in 2028, McLaren have suggested the transition could happen sooner, stating he will join them “no later than 2028.”

His departure is part of a broader period of upheaval within the team. Over the past year, several senior figures have exited Red Bull, including team principal Christian Horner, chief engineering officer Rob Marshall and advisor Helmut Marko. According to PlanetF1, long-serving mechanic Ole Schack has also resigned after more than two decades.

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The scale of those changes has led to renewed speculation about Verstappen’s long-term commitment to the sport particularly with major regulation changes coming in 2026, which place greater emphasis on hybrid systems.

Verstappen himself acknowledged those uncertainties in an earlier interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, where he said he had been reflecting on his future following the Japanese Grand Prix.

Speaking to RaceXpress, Jos Verstappen said the family had long been aware of Lambiase’s planned move.

“We knew for a while [about Lambiase] and we also knew when it was going to happen,” he said. “We have another year and a half to two years to work with him.”

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He described the move as a positive step for Lambiase and said they had encouraged him to take the opportunity.

Reflecting on his son’s career, Jos added that priorities can shift after sustained success.

“I think things have changed,” he said. “Certainly, after four championships you have achieved a lot together.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Red Bull’s internal changes, he indicated that Max Verstappen is still likely to remain in Formula 1 for the foreseeable future.

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“But that is up to Max. However, I think he will just continue.”

Sources: SportBible, BBC, RaceXpress, PlanetF1, Red Bull Racing, McLaren

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