Max Verstappen's Race Engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to Join McLaren in 2028

Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen's race engineer since 2016, has agreed to leave Red Bull and join McLaren in a senior leadership role from 2028, according to reports first published by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf and subsequently confirmed by Reuters, the BBC, and Sky Sports. Lambiase, 45, will take up the position of head of race engineering at McLaren, reporting to team principal Andrea Stella, once a period of gardening leave following the expiry of his Red Bull contract at the end of 2027 comes to an end. Neither McLaren nor Red Bull issued an official comment on Thursday. The departure of the British-Italian engineer, who guided Verstappen to four consecutive World Drivers' Championship titles between 2021 and 2024, represents another significant personnel loss for a Red Bull operation that has shed a series of key figures in recent seasons.

Verstappen hints at walking away from F1 The news deepens uncertainty over Verstappen's own future in Formula One. The 28-year-old is currently ninth in the 2026 Formula One World Championship with 12 (points) — Verstappen's tally after three 2026 races from the opening three races, and has been openly critical of the sport's new engine regulations, which require drivers to manage energy deployment and take corners at reduced speed. At the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Verstappen delivered a series of unusually candid remarks about his state of mind. „I am not even frustrated any more. I am beyond that. I don't know what to make of it to be honest. There are probably no words.” — Max Verstappen via The Guardian In a subsequent interview with the BBC, Verstappen raised the prospect of stepping back from the sport entirely. „When you just think about is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you're not enjoying your sport?” — Max Verstappen via Reuters Verstappen's contract with Red Bull runs until 2028, but performance-related exit clauses would allow him to leave before that date. In 2021, Verstappen told Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport that he would quit the sport the moment Lambiase stopped working with him, a statement that now carries renewed weight.

Red Bull's talent drain accelerates as McLaren consolidates dominance Lambiase's departure is the latest in a string of high-profile exits from Red Bull that have eroded the team's competitive standing. Christian Horner was fired as team principal in July 2025 and succeeded by Laurent Mekies. Before Horner's exit, renowned designer Adrian Newey left to join Aston Martin, and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley also departed. Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay, both former Red Bull employees, have already moved to McLaren, where they serve as chief designer and sporting director respectively. McLaren, by contrast, has emerged as the dominant force in the sport under Andrea Stella, winning back-to-back Constructors' Championships in 2024 and 2025, with Lando Norris claiming the 2025 Drivers' title. Lambiase had also attracted interest from Aston Martin, where Newey serves as team principal, as well as from Williams, according to reports, but McLaren secured his services in what sources described as an audacious move.

[{"dateISO":"2024-01-01","date":"Early 2024","title":"Adrian Newey departs","description":"Renowned designer Adrian Newey leaves Red Bull to join Aston Martin."},{"dateISO":"2024-01-02","date":"Recent seasons","title":"Marshall and Courtenay leave","description":"Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay move from Red Bull to McLaren as chief designer and sporting director."},{"dateISO":"2025-07-01","date":"July 2025","title":"Christian Horner fired","description":"Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is sacked and succeeded by Laurent Mekies."},{"dateISO":"2027-12-31","date":"End of 2027","title":"Lambiase contract expires","description":"Gianpiero Lambiase's Red Bull contract ends; he is set to join McLaren from 2028."}]

Stella stays put despite Ferrari speculation swirling in paddock At McLaren, Lambiase is expected to take on a senior trackside role that has not yet been defined in detail, working alongside Stella rather than replacing him. Stella, who worked with Michael Schumacher at Ferrari in the early 2000s before joining McLaren in 2015 and becoming team principal in December 2022, holds a multi-year contract with the Woking-based outfit and has no intention of returning to Ferrari, according to Reuters. Some media speculation had linked Stella with a return to Maranello following reports of Lambiase's impending arrival, but sources close to the situation indicated those reports were unfounded. The relationship between Verstappen and Lambiase, whose radio exchanges became a defining feature of the four-championship era, has drawn comparisons to the partnership between Lewis Hamilton and engineer Peter Bonnington during Hamilton's years at Mercedes. Former Red Bull boss Horner once described the dynamic between driver and engineer in characteristically blunt terms. „The dynamic between the two is so intense that in between you have to ask yourself who is supposed to be the driver and who is supposed to be the engineer here.” — Christian Horner via Reuters

Red Bull's period of dominance in Formula One stretched from 2021 to 2024, during which Verstappen and Lambiase won four consecutive Drivers' Championships. Lambiase first began working as Verstappen's race engineer when the Dutchman joined Red Bull in 2016, with their debut race together producing a victory at the Spanish Grand Prix. Lambiase was promoted to head of race engineering at Red Bull in 2024. He began his Formula One career as a data engineer in 2005 with Jordan Grand Prix, later working at Force India where he was part of the team's first pole position and podium at the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix with Giancarlo Fisichella.