Max Verstappen will partner with a new race engineer at the upcoming Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, as Simon Rennie replaces Gianpiero Lambiase for this weekend’s race. This unexpected switch comes after Red Bull confirmed Lambiase’s absence due to personal reasons ahead of the Spielberg event.
Gianpiero Lambiase, known as ‘GP’ within the paddock, has been a key figure in Verstappen’s career, supporting the Dutchman through four world championships and 65 grand prix victories. Since Verstappen’s promotion from Toro Rosso to Red Bull in 2016, Lambiase had been present at every race as his race engineer, making this his first missed event.
Red Bull have indicated that Lambiase is expected to return for the British Grand Prix in Silverstone next weekend, ensuring only a brief interruption to what has been a long-standing partnership.
Simon Rennie’s Extensive Experience in Formula 1
Simon Rennie, stepping in for Lambiase, is a seasoned Red Bull team member with over two decades of Formula 1 experience. At 45 years old, he has worked with several top drivers and teams, bringing a wealth of technical knowledge to Verstappen’s pit wall this weekend.
Rennie began his Formula 1 career at Renault in 2004, where he played a significant role in Fernando Alonso’s back-to-back world titles as a data engineer. He later advanced to become Alonso’s race engineer, guiding him through some of Renault’s more challenging years in 2008 and 2009.
Following Alonso’s move to Ferrari in 2010, Rennie worked with drivers including Robert Kubica, Nick Heidfeld, and briefly Kimi Raikkonen during the Lotus takeover of Renault in 2012. His transition to Red Bull came in 2013, initially engineering for Mark Webber before building a strong connection with Daniel Ricciardo during his peak seasons.
In 2019, Rennie stepped away from hands-on pit duties to focus on a role at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes headquarters, citing a need to reduce travel. Daniel Ricciardo attributed Rennie’s departure as a race engineer to some of his reasons for leaving Red Bull. Since then, Rennie has headed Red Bull’s simulator program while occasionally returning trackside, such as his stint supporting Alex Albon in 2020 as he advanced to the senior team.
More recently, Rennie contributed to Daniel Ricciardo’s form improvement at AlphaTauri after the Australian rejoined the Red Bull family following less successful periods at Renault and McLaren.
Implications of the Sudden Race Engineer Change
The substitution of Lambiase with Rennie is notable given the long-standing and successful partnership between Verstappen and Lambiase. Rennie’s experience and familiarity with Red Bull’s structure will be crucial in ensuring continuity during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. This change might impact communication and strategy dynamics temporarily, but Rennie’s history with Red Bull’s top drivers equips him well to handle the role effectively.
Lambiase’s pending return at Silverstone will likely restore stability, but the weekend in Spielberg represents a unique challenge for Verstappen and the team.
