Saturday’s F1 news features a new Red Bull contract for Max Verstappen’s long-serving race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase and likely new investment in the Aston Martin F1 team.

Let’s throttle through the day’s main headlines at breakneck speed…

Gianpiero Lambiase signs Red Bull contract extension

PlanetF1.com understands that Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen’s long-serving race engineer, has signed a contract extension with Red Bull.

Red Bull have lost a number of high-profile figures this year, with the likes of Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley heading for the exit.

Lambiase had attracted interest from the likes of McLaren and Ferrari, but is believed to have put pen to paper on a new deal during the recent summer break.

The experienced engineer could also be in line for a promotion, with Red Bull previously hinting that Wheatley’s sporting director duties are likely to be shared by a number of employees.

Read more: Gianpiero Lambiase the latest to showcase Red Bull loyalty as Ferrari and McLaren bids resisted

Aston Martin set to welcome new investment

Aston Martin are set to sell a large stake in the team to two prominent investment funds, it has been claimed.

Lawrence Stroll revealed earlier this year that he was seeking more investors in Aston Martin, with the Silverstone-based outfit set to welcome fresh investment from HPS Investment Partners and Accel.

The deal, which is expected to value the Aston Martin F1 team at somewhere between £1.5-2billion, is expected to be finalised shortly.

It comes as the team prepare to announce the signing of F1 design legend Adrian Newey next week.

Read more: Aston Martin blockbuster investment deal ahead of expected Adrian Newey announcement – report

Lewis Hamilton gets emotional over Mercedes landmark as exit looms

Lewis Hamilton has shared an emotional post on social media as he prepares to leave Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of F1 2024.

Hamilton announced earlier this year that he will join Ferrari on a multi-year contract from F1 2025, ending his long and successful association with Mercedes.

With last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix marking the end of the European leg of the season, Monza marked the last time Hamilton will use his private room in Mercedes’ own hospitality unit on a race weekend.

“This is such a unique time in my life, one that continues to bring out a lot of emotions,” he wrote.

Read more: Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton’s poignant post as emotions hit hard at Monza

Helmut Marko explains two factors behind Jonathan Wheatley’s Red Bull exit

Helmut Marko has conceded that Red Bull “couldn’t match” Audi F1’s offer to Jonathan Wheatley, both in terms of salary and seniority within the team.

Audi F1 confirmed in July that Wheatley will become the Swiss-based outfit’s team principal in 2026 following a highly successful spell as Red Bull’ sporting director.

Marko has described Wheatley’s exit as “a loss” to Red Bull, admitting the team could not rival what Audi F1 were offering.

Read more: Revealed: The two reasons why Red Bull lost Jonathan Wheatley to Audi F1 team

Did Mark Webber influence Oscar Piastri’s bold Lando Norris move?

Oscar Piastri’s bold overtake on McLaren team-mate Lando Norris on the opening lap of the Italian Grand Prix was influenced by his manager Mark Webber.

That is the opinion of David Coulthard, who believes Webber “got in Piastri‘s ear” ahead of the race at Monza “to make it difficult” for the McLaren pit wall to enforce team orders.

Webber, who had a fraught relationship with Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull between 2009-13, now acts as Piastri’s adviser.

Read more: Oscar Piastri at centre of ‘make it difficult’ theory after Mark Webber ‘got in his ear’