Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick has reacted to the latest F1 update about Max Verstappen’s long-time race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, leaving Red Bull in 2028 when his contract ends. He will join McLaren as chief racing officer. The move will end one of the sport’s most successful driver-engineer pairings, a partnership that helped Verstappen win four world titles.
Lambiase has been one of Verstappen’s closest allies in the paddock since 2016. Verstappen once said he would not keep racing without Lambiase, which shows how deep that bond runs. For Red Bull, the loss lands at a time of change. The team has also seen several other names leave in recent seasons, such as Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Will Courtenay, and Rob Marshall.
Thanks for the submission!
During the latest episode of “Speed on Fox,” Harvick commented on the same and linked it to a broader issue inside the team.
“I think that good people have options and when good people have options they wind up thinking about them a lot more when it doesn’t seem stable within your own walls,” Kevin Harvick said.
Meanwhile, Verstappen, who is contracted to Red Bull through 2028, will also face a huge decision about his long-term future with the team.
“Will have to race to justify his next contract” – Kevin Harvick raises alarm for Alex Bowman’s future at Hendrick
Kevin Harvick also had a cautious and slightly critical reaction to Alex Bowman’s return to his No. 48 car at Hendrick Motorsports. Bowman missed races after dealing with vertigo and was only cleared to return shortly before Bristol. He had a tough outing there after starting in 27th and finishing further down in 37th after getting caught in an incident.
On the “Happy Hour” podcast this week, Harvick suggested that Bowman’s position at Hendrick is dependent on him winning.
“It’s good to see him back in the car, but now we’re back to analyzing the 48’s performance, and it wasn’t good. Throughout the weekend, they didn’t really have any speed and wound up in an accident,” Kevin Harvick said (19:00 onwards). “Bowman will have to race to justify his next contract. If you’re going to keep your job, you’re going to have to win.”
Bowman has zero top-10 finishes so far this season and sits 36th with just 24 points after eight races. He signed a three-year NASCAR Cup Series extension with Hendrick in February 2023, and his contract keeps him in the No. 48 car only through the end of this season.
Edited by Parag Jain