Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, expects his son to continue in Formula 1 despite the recent announcement that his long-time race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, is set to leave Red Bull for McLaren.
The news of Lambiase’s departure, which is currently scheduled for the end of 2027, has fueled the belief that Verstappen could quit F1 at the end of this season.
Following an eighth-place finish at last month’s Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen said he was considering walking away from F1 before the end of his Red Bull contract, which is due to expire at the end of 2028.
Quotes from 2021, in which Verstappen said he would not work with any other engineer other than Lambiase, have resurfaced in the past 24 hours, leading many to speculate that the four-time world champion is planning his own exit.
But speaking at a rally event this week, Jos Verstappen said his son’s future is not directly linked to Lambiase’s.
“I think things have changed [since 2021],” he told Racexpress. “Especially after four championships, you have achieved a lot together.
“The last one is up to Max, but I just think he will continue.”
Jos Verstappen, who has been central to the management of Max’s career since he first started in go-karts, confirmed that Lambiase’s news had not come as a shock.
“We’ve known it for a while and we also knew when it was going to happen,” he added. “So we have another year and a half, let’s say two years, to work with him.
“It is a huge opportunity for him and we understand it. We also said, you have to do it, you have to seize it with both hands. And the rest is up to Red Bull to replace him.
“So we’ll see.”
Verstappen has made no secret of his frustration with F1’s new regulations, which have put greater emphasis on power unit performance and diminished driver involvement.
After the last grand prix in Japan, the four-time champion said he was considering leaving F1 at the end of the year due to his dislike of the new generation of cars.
“Of course I try to adapt to it, but it’s not nice the way you have to race,” the Red Bull driver said. “It’s really anti-driving. Then at one point, yeah, it’s just not what I want to do.”
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But Jos Verstappen believes proposed changes to the rules aimed at reducing the emphasis on managing battery power could be enough to keep his son in F1.
“I think so,” he said. “It looks like Formula 1 and the FIA are going to adjust the regulations after all. Look what they can do this year; that will help.
“But I think everyone, the fans, but also the drivers, are complaining bitterly. I think it is good for Formula 1 to get that done too. But I think they know very well what they need to do.
“As a driver, I find it less enjoyable too. Every now and then I’m watching and I turn off the television, because it interests me less. It is not the Formula 1 that Formula 1 stands for.
“Where so much is demanded of the driver, now it is more of an engineering competition where the driver has to lift off a lot. Where they can no longer make the difference as a driver.
“I think that is a shame about Formula 1.”
