Max Verstappen will have a new race engineer for the upcoming Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, as Simon Rennie will replace Gianpiero Lambiase for this weekend’s race in Spielberg. Lambiase, a key figure behind Verstappen’s success at Red Bull, is absent due to personal reasons, marking his first missed race since becoming Verstappen’s race engineer in 2016.

The Dutchman’s trusted engineer, known widely as ‘GP,’ has played a vital role in guiding Verstappen to four world championships and 65 grand prix victories. Lambiase is expected to resume his regular duties at next weekend’s British Grand Prix in Silverstone.

Profile of Simon Rennie: Verstappen’s Temporary Engineer

Replacing Lambiase at the Austrian GP is Simon Rennie, a seasoned Red Bull team member aged 45, who has a longstanding history in Formula 1. Rennie began his F1 career in 2004 with Renault, contributing to Fernando Alonso’s consecutive world titles as a data engineer before progressing to race engineer roles.

Throughout his time at the Enstone-based team, Rennie worked closely with drivers such as Alonso, Robert Kubica, Nick Heidfeld, and Kimi Räikkönen during the Lotus era. He joined Red Bull in 2013, initially engineering Mark Webber and later forging a successful partnership with Daniel Ricciardo during Ricciardo’s peak years at the team.

In 2019, Rennie transitioned from the front line to a behind-the-scenes role at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes base to reduce travel commitments. He also supported Alex Albon’s promotion to the senior team in 2020 and has recently helped Ricciardo regain form after his return to the Red Bull family via AlphaTauri.

Impact and Outlook for Verstappen and Red Bull

Simon Rennie stepping into the role for the Austrian Grand Prix highlights Red Bull’s internal flexibility and depth of experience within its engineering staff. While this marks only a temporary shift, Lambiase’s absence breaks a long-standing continuity in Verstappen’s race-day support team.

With the Austrian GP serving as an important round in the Formula 1 calendar, Rennie’s expertise and prior success with Red Bull drivers will be critical in maintaining Verstappen’s competitive edge. Fans and analysts will watch closely to see how this change affects Verstappen’s performance before Lambiase’s return at Silverstone.

“This is the first time the Italian-British engineer has been absent from an F1 race since becoming Verstappen’s engineer following the latter’s mid-season promotion from Toro Rosso in 2016.” —Red Bull Representative

“Rennie started his F1 career at Renault in 2004 and helped Fernando Alonso win back-to-back titles as his data engineer.” —F1 Historian