Verstappen recaps first day with Rennie and set-up struggles

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Max Verstappen kicked off the Austrian Grand Prix weekend with a solid performance during Friday’s practice sessions at the Red Bull Ring, navigating the absence of his regular race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, with ease.

For the first time since joining Red Bull’s flagship Formula 1 team in 2016, Verstappen worked without Lambiase, who was sidelined for personal reasons. Stepping into the critical role was Red Bull’s simulator chief, Simon Rennie, whose seamless integration with the four-time world champion drew praise from the latter.

Verstappen expressed confidence in Rennie’s abilities, highlighting the engineer’s extensive experience and their immediate chemistry.

“So far today it's been really good with Simon,” Verstappen said. “I've known Simon for a long time on the other side of the garage and working with him also in the simulator.

“He has a lot of experience anyway so it's been actually very, very good today. He was straight on it and it was nice.”

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Rennie, 45, brought a wealth of expertise to the pit wall, having previously served as race engineer for drivers like Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon at Red Bull, as well as F1 champions Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen during his time at Renault/Lotus.

His familiarity with high-pressure roles and his recent work at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes factory ensured a smooth temporary transition, allowing Verstappen to focus on his driving.

Mixed on-track fortunes amid setup challenges

While Verstappen was happy with the in-session communications, he was less satisfied with the performance of the RB21 on track.

The Dutchman ended FP2 third on the timesheets, behind McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and over three tenths adrift.

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“Overall it was quite straightforward,” he assessed. “We didn't have any big issues, but just lacking a bit of pace. A bit of too much understeer in the car as well, short run and long run.

“So that is something that we have to try and get rid of.”

Verstappen and Red Bull will be aiming to fine-tune the balance of the car overnight, with qualifying looming on Saturday.

Despite the absence of his trusted race engineer, Verstappen appears confident that the temporary partnership with Rennie will not be a limiting factor as the weekend progresses.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.