Lambiase to leave Red Bull for McLaren in 2028 as F2 adds Miami, Montreal to 2026 calendar
Max Verstappen's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will leave Red Bull after 2027 to join McLaren in a senior leadership role, dealing another blow to the champion team's stability. Separately, Formula 2 confirms Miami and Montreal will join its 2026 calendar, replacing cancelled races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to prevent a major schedule gap.
Gianpiero Lambiase, the highly regarded race engineer for Max Verstappen, will leave Red Bull Racing at the end of the 2027 season to join McLaren as their new Chief Racing Officer in 2028. In separate news, Formula 2 has officially added the Miami and Canadian Grand Prix weekends to its 2026 calendar, filling the void left by the cancelled races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Why it matters:
Lambiase's impending departure is a significant blow to Red Bull, marking the latest in a series of high-profile exits from the reigning world champions. His move to a direct rival in McLaren signals a major strategic coup for the Woking-based team as they continue their upward trajectory. Meanwhile, the F2 calendar changes ensure the feeder series avoids a disruptive three-month gap, maintaining crucial momentum for its young drivers.
The details:
- Red Bull announced Lambiase's departure in a brief statement, confirming he will see out his contract through the 2027 season before leaving.
- McLaren swiftly followed with their own announcement, revealing Lambiase will take on the newly created Chief Racing Officer role, reporting directly to Team Principal Andrea Stella.
- This appointment also helps quell recent speculation about Stella's own future with the team.
- Lambiase has been a cornerstone of Verstappen's success, serving as his race engineer for all three of the Dutch driver's world championships. His departure adds to the talent drain from Red Bull, which has seen several key technical and operational figures leave in recent months.
- For the 2026 Formula 2 season, the championship will now head to the Miami International Autodrome for its second round from May 1-3.
- The series will then travel to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal for round three from May 22-24.
- This restores the calendar's flow, with the championship returning to Europe for the Monaco Grand Prix weekend in early June as originally planned.
What's next:
Lambiase's focus will now be on closing out his successful tenure at Red Bull on a high note, with nearly three full seasons remaining. His long-term move to McLaren represents a major investment in their technical leadership, aiming to sustain their current competitive form into the next regulatory era. For F2, the revised 2026 schedule provides stability and exciting new venues for the next generation of F1 hopefuls, ensuring the season maintains a coherent and challenging structure.