Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has described sharing his first Singapore Grand Prix victory with his departing race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase as “very special”.
The Dutchman secured his second grand prix victory of the season during a dominant weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. He claimed pole position for both the sprint race and grand prix and won both races.
The Milton Keynes outfit sent Lambiase, who will be leaving the team to join McLaren no later than 2028, to represent Red Bull alongside Verstappen on the podium. It was announced in April 2026 that Lambiase would leave Red Bull when his contract expires at the end of 2027, unless an earlier agreement is reached.
He will join McLaren as chief racing officer. As a result, Tom Hart will take over as Verstappen’s race engineer in 2027, as well as at the 2026 United States, Brazilian and Las Vegas Grands Prix.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
Verstappen was asked about sharing the podium with Lambiase in Singapore at the post-race press conference. “Yeah, didn’t expect that. I remember he said to me last year in Vegas, ‘This might be the last time I’m on the podium.’ I said, ‘Don’t be silly, we’re going to win much more,'” the Red Bull driver explained.
“But I almost jinxed myself there, I guess. And yeah, it was just super nice that they sent him up. Of course, we all know that he is leaving, but I think it was very special to share the podium here on a track that we had not won together. So very nice to see him up there.”
After back-to-back wins at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and the Singapore Grand Prix, Verstappen currently sits fourth in the drivers’ standings with 221 points, 119 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
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