Verstappen fully supports Lambiase's move to McLaren

Max Verstappen has given his full backing to race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase's career move to McLaren, revealing Lambiase sought his approval before accepting the senior role. The Dutch champion emphasized the move was an incredible opportunity for his long-time ally, stating their friendship and professional achievements together would remain unchanged despite the impending separation.

Why it matters:

Lambiase's departure marks another significant loss of institutional knowledge from Red Bull Racing, following the exit of other key figures like Adrian Newey. For Verstappen, whose own future at Red Bull post-2028 is uncertain, losing his trusted race engineer and confidant could influence his career decisions. The move also signals McLaren's aggressive recruitment strategy to bolster its technical leadership under Andrea Stella.

The details:

• McLaren announced last week it had hired Lambiase for the newly created role of Chief Racing Officer, supporting Team Principal Andrea Stella on race weekends.
• The move is expected to be finalized by the start of the 2028 season, pending any early release from his current Red Bull contract.
• Verstappen confirmed Lambiase discussed the opportunity with him first, with the driver's response being, "you’d be stupid not to take it."
• The three-time champion highlighted the long-term security and family benefits of the promotion for Lambiase, underscoring a personal dimension to the professional decision.
• Verstappen and Lambiase have been a dominant pairing since 2016, sharing all three of Verstappen's world championships and 56 Grand Prix victories.

What's next:

The timeline sets up a potential final season together in 2027, if Lambiase sees out his Red Bull contract. Verstappen left the door open for a future reunion, saying, "Maybe we’ll work together again."

• For Red Bull, the task is now to identify and integrate a new race engineer for their star driver, a crucial relationship that requires deep trust and understanding.
• Lambiase's move to McLaren adds another layer of intrigue to the driver market, as Verstappen's contract also expires at the end of 2028, aligning with his engineer's expected start date at the Woking-based team.