Verstappen's race engineer Lambiase set for shock move to McLaren
Gianpiero Lambiase, the race engineer central to Max Verstappen's four world titles, is poised for a shock move from Red Bull to McLaren in 2028. He will take on a senior management role, aiding team boss Andrea Stella with race operations. The departure of such a key ally marks a pivotal moment for Verstappen and Red Bull, while representing a major strategic hire for an ascendant McLaren.
Max Verstappen's long-time and highly successful race engineer, Gianpiero 'GP' Lambiase, is set to leave Red Bull Racing at the end of his contract and make a surprising switch to McLaren in a senior management role. The move, planned for 2028, would see Lambiase work alongside Team Principal Andrea Stella, taking on key weekend operational responsibilities. This development comes at a sensitive time for Red Bull and Verstappen, who has recently seen several close allies depart the team.
Why it matters:
Lambiase is not just an engineer; he is the strategic voice in Verstappen's ear and a cornerstone of the driver's historic run of four world championships. His potential departure represents a significant loss of institutional knowledge and a key pillar of Verstappen's support system. For McLaren, securing a figure of his caliber is a major coup and signals an aggressive push to bolster its technical leadership and track operations as it fights at the front of the grid.
The details:
- The deal, first reported in Dutch media, is understood to be in place for Lambiase to join McLaren when his Red Bull contract concludes.
- He is being recruited for a senior management position, specifically to alleviate the growing workload on Team Principal Andrea Stella by handling critical in-race weekend operations.
- The switch is scheduled for the start of the 2028 season, though an earlier move could be negotiated between the teams.
- Lambiase had been linked with roles at Aston Martin and Williams, but McLaren emerged as the preferred destination.
- His bond with Verstappen is famously strong, with the driver praising his engineer's passion after the 2023 Abu Dhabi finale, calling their partnership crucial through a "tough" year.
What's next:
The focus now shifts to how Red Bull manages this impending transition and who could fill the enormous void on Verstappen's side of the garage. Furthermore, Lambiase's move adds another layer to the ongoing speculation about Verstappen's own long-term future, as the driver has lost several key confidants within the team in recent years, including Helmut Marko and Jonathan Wheatley. For McLaren, integrating Lambiase's expertise will be a key project as it aims to convert recent performance into a sustained championship challenge.