Red Bull confirm status of Max Verstappen's key ally at Hungarian GP after missing race

Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen's race engineer, will be back on the pit wall at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend. The 44-year-old was absent during the race at Spa-Francorchamps due to personal reasons. Lambiase has been absent from the pit wall twice this season, with last weekend's outing in Belgium marking his second missed event of the year. The Italian-British engineer was also unable to help Verstappen at the Austrian Grand Prix, with personal reasons cited as the cause.

On both occasions, Simon Rennie filled in for Lambiase. The long-serving engineer had previously worked with F1 champions Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, as well as Red Bull icons Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo. His reunion with Verstappen in Belgium was a fruitful one, producing a sprint race victory on Saturday.

Speaking about the experience of working with Rennie after climbing out of the car, Verstappen noted: "With Simon, I mean, he has a lot of racing experience already and, of course, he's been part of the team already for a very long time

"Of course, the last few years, [he's] not anymore in a race engineer role, but he steps in and he's immediately on it. So also again, very enjoyable to work with Simon."

However, according to RacingNews365, there will not be a third outing for the makeshift duo at the Hungaroring. Lambiase is back in the paddock, and the familiar voice will return to Verstappen's ears when FP1 gets underway on Friday.

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The Red Bull duo will now hope to avenge the disastrous 2024 Hungarian GP. The four-time world champion was fighting for the race lead at Turn One on the opening lap, but crossed the line down in fifth after colliding with Lewis Hamilton and losing his temper with the team's pit wall.

Verstappen was particularly aggrieved by the strategy Red Bull provided him with. He was undercut by both Charles Leclerc and Hamilton on his way to the fifth-place finish. This led to a spectacular X-rated radio outburst and some fiery post-race interviews.

"I don't think we need to apologise," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1 after the race. "I just think we need to do a better job. I don't know why people think you cannot be vocal on a radio. This is a sport. If some people don't like that, then stay home."