Max Verstappen will work with a different race engineer during the 2024 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, as Gianpiero Lambiase will be absent for personal reasons. Simon Rennie, a seasoned Red Bull team member, will fill the role for this race weekend.
Temporary Change in Verstappen’s Engineering Team
Gianpiero Lambiase, known as ‘GP’ in the F1 paddock, has played a crucial role in Max Verstappen’s career, contributing to the Dutch driver’s four world championships and 65 wins for Red Bull. However, Lambiase will miss the Belgian GP at Spa due to personal circumstances, marking his second absence this season after missing the Austrian Grand Prix for similar reasons.
This is notable as Austria was the first race Lambiase missed since taking over as Verstappen’s race engineer in 2016 when the driver was promoted from Toro Rosso. It remains unclear if Lambiase will be back for the Hungarian Grand Prix next week.
Profile of Simon Rennie: Red Bull’s Experienced Stand-In
Replacing Lambiase on the pit wall for Belgium, Simon Rennie brings nearly two decades of Formula 1 experience to the front-line team. The 45-year-old engineer started his career at Renault in 2004, where he contributed as a data engineer to Fernando Alonso’s back-to-back world championships in 2005 and 2006.
Rennie rose through the ranks at Renault, becoming Alonso’s race engineer before the Spaniard’s move to Ferrari in 2010. During his time at Renault and later Lotus after the takeover, Rennie worked with drivers such as Robert Kubica, Nick Heidfeld, and Kimi Raikkonen in 2012.
Joining Red Bull in 2013, Rennie initially served as Mark Webber’s engineer before developing a successful partnership with Daniel Ricciardo during the Australian driver’s peak years. In 2019, Rennie stepped away from onsite duties to reduce travel, assuming a role at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes headquarters. Ricciardo has mentioned Rennie’s departure as a factor in his own decision to leave the team.
Since stepping back from the pit wall, Rennie has led Red Bull’s simulator program but made brief appearances trackside to support Alex Albon’s promotion in 2020 and helped Daniel Ricciardo regain form at AlphaTauri recently.
Impact and Outlook for Verstappen’s Team at the Belgian GP
The absence of Lambiase represents a rare disruption in Verstappen’s established technical team during a critical part of the season. Simon Rennie’s return to an engineering role on race weekends signals Red Bull’s confidence in his expertise and his ability to maintain continuity for Verstappen’s performance.
With Lambiase’s status for the Hungarian Grand Prix still unknown, Rennie’s involvement could extend beyond Spa, depending on circumstances. This substitution reflects the importance of experienced engineers in Formula 1 and the flexibility teams must have when facing unexpected challenges.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Did Max Verstappen apologize?
A. Christian Horner shared that Max Verstappen said sorry to the Red Bull team after his crash with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix. This incident caused Verstappen to fall from fifth to tenth place because of a 10-second penalty.
Q. What is Max Verstappen’s baby gender?
A. On May 2, Verstappen, aged 27, shared two pictures of his newborn daughter on Instagram and announced her name was Lily. “Welcome to the world, sweet Lily,” he said in the caption.
Q. Are Lando Norris and Max Verstappen still friends?
A. Yes, quite a bit of drama. Even with these conflicts, Verstappen and Norris have often said they are still good friends.
Q. Has Max Verstappen apologized to Lando Norris?
A. Norris mentioned that he talked with Verstappen after the incident. When asked if Verstappen apologized, Norris said, “Honestly, I don’t think he needed to. The comments I made after the race were mostly due to my frustration at that moment.”
