Max Verstappen shares his thoughts on the "incredibly special" moment during the Singapore GP with Gianpiero Lambiase.
Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen referred to sharing his inaugural Singapore Grand Prix victory with his departing race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase as "very special".
The Dutch racer clinched his second grand prix win of the season during a commanding weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. He secured pole position for both the sprint race and the grand prix, ultimately winning both events.
The Milton Keynes team sent Lambiase, who will be moving to McLaren by 2028, to join Verstappen on the podium as a representative of Red Bull. It was revealed in April 2026 that Lambiase would be leaving Red Bull when his contract concludes at the end of 2027, unless an earlier agreement is established.
He is set to take on the role of chief racing officer at McLaren. Consequently, Tom Hart will step in as Verstappen's race engineer in 2027, in addition to the 2026 United States, Brazilian, and Las Vegas Grands Prix.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
During the post-race press conference, Verstappen was asked about sharing the podium with Lambiase in Singapore. "Yeah, didn't expect that. I recall he told me last year in Vegas, 'This might be the last time I'm on the podium.' I replied, 'Don't be ridiculous, we're going to win plenty more,'" the Red Bull driver shared.
"But I guess I almost jinxed myself there. And yeah, it was just really nice that they had him up there. Obviously, we all know he’s leaving, but I think it was truly special to share the podium here at a track where we hadn’t won together. So, it was great to see him up there."
Following consecutive victories at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and the Singapore Grand Prix, Verstappen currently ranks fourth in the drivers' standings with 221 points, trailing championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 119 points.
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