Verstappen Celebrates Maiden Singapore Win with Poignant Podium Reunion Alongside Gianpiero Lambiase
MARINA BAY — Max Verstappen’s dominant lights-to-flag victory at Sunday night’s Singapore Grand Prix carried deep personal resonance beyond ending his long-standing drought at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Joining the four-time World Champion on the top step of the podium was his longtime race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase—a moment Verstappen admitted could mark their final podium celebration together.
The triumph was Verstappen’s first career victory in Singapore since entering Formula 1 in 2015. Starting from his 50th career pole position, the Dutchman led every lap, missing out on a rare “Grand Slam” only after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc posted the fastest lap of the race.
A Surprise Podium Celebration
As the winning constructor, Red Bull Racing selected Lambiase to ascend the podium to collect the team trophy alongside Verstappen. The gesture came as an unexpected surprise to the driver, highlighting an iconic partnership that has defined Red Bull’s dominant era since Verstappen’s maiden victory at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
Lambiase is slated to enter gardening leave at the end of the current season ahead of a reported future switch to McLaren in 2028.
“I didn’t expect him to go to the podium with me!” Verstappen admitted following the trophy ceremony. “I was very happy it was him. It could be the last one, so at least it’d be one with a special meaning.”
Engineering Transition Ahead for Final Six Rounds
With only six races remaining on the 2026 calendar, the Singapore podium likely represents the final time the pairing will stand together on the rostrum.
Red Bull has already scheduled a transition plan to prepare for next season, rotating race engineer duties across the closing flyaway rounds:
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Tom Hart Steps Up: Performance engineer Tom Hart will take over communications as Verstappen’s primary race engineer at the upcoming United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
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Further Rotations: Hart is also scheduled to run the pit wall for the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos and the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
With Verstappen leading the championship into the season’s closing stretch, the Singapore triumph served as a fitting and emotional milestone for one of modern Formula 1’s most storied driver-engineer pairings.