Max Verstappen’s esteemed F1 race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will join McLaren from Red Bull in 2028, throwing the Dutchman’s future with the team into serious doubt.
British-Italian engineer Lambiase, who has worked with Verstappen since the driver’s Red Bull debut in 2016, will link up with McLaren as Chief Racing Officer, a role to support current team principal Andrea Stella. Lambiase, 45, was linked with moves to Aston Martin and Williams in the off-season.
Lambiase has a contract until the end of 2027 and will not leave Red Bull – where he has combined roles as Verstappen’s engineer with the team’s ‘Head of Racing’ since 2025 – until 2028. Both McLaren and Red Bull confirmed the news with statements on Thursday afternoon.
The news makes Verstappen’s exit from Red Bull, if not F1, more likely and perhaps even inevitable.
The four-time world champion has already mooted retiring from the sport at the end of the current season, given his dissatisfaction with the new cars and regulations, and has previously vocalised how Lambiase is one of his three key allies in the sport, alongside father Jos and Red Bull’s former adviser Helmut Marko, who retired at the end of last season.
Lambiase is the latest member of Red Bull’s hierarchy to swap the Austrian drinks company for the papaya-clad outfit. Senior designer Rob Marshall and strategy guru Will Courtenay have all made the same transfer in recent years.
Long-term team principal Christian Horner was also sacked last summer, with former sporting director Jonathan Wheatley joining Audi as team principal last year – a position he has since vacated. Adrian Newey also left in 2025 for Aston Martin.
Meanwhile, Verstappen voiced his unhappiness in F1 at the last race in Suzuka and has described the 2026 cars as “anti-racing” and “like Formula E on steroids.”
After finishing eighth at the Japanese Grand Prix, leaving him ninth in the championship standings and 60 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli after three rounds, Verstappen told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I'm thinking about everything inside this paddock.
"Privately, I'm very happy. You also wait for 24 races. This time it's 22. But normally 24. And then 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?
"I can easily accept to be in P7 or P8 where I am. Because I also know that you can't be dominating or be first or second or whatever, fighting for a podium every time. I'm very realistic in that and I've been there before. I've not only been winning in F1.
"But at the same time when you are in P7 or P8 and you are not enjoying the whole formula behind it, it doesn't feel natural to a racing driver. Of course, I try to adapt to it, but it's not nice the way you have to race. It's really anti-driving. Then at one point, yeah, it's just not what I want to do.
"And of course you can look at it and make a lot of money. Great. But at the end of the day it's not about money any more because this has always been my passion."
Verstappen is on a £50m-a-year contract at Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season. However, it is understood the 28-year-old can trigger an exit if he is outside the top two in the world championship by the summer break.
Lambiase started his F1 career with Jordan in 2005 and continued with the team in their later iterations as Midland, Spyker and Force India. He moved to Red Bull in 2015, working as Daniil Kvyat’s race engineer before teaming up with Verstappen.
The pair have won four drivers’ world championships together and enjoy a strong and often entertaining relationship over team radio. After missing out on last year’s title by two points in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen praised Lambiase, who was emotional following the final race.
“It’s been an emotional year,” Verstappen said. “Forget about the results this year. I also don’t want to go too much into detail, but it’s been tough. But I’m very happy to be able to work with someone that passionate.
“Of course, he is my race engineer, but I see him as my friend. We have lived through so many emotional things together and fantastic achievements. I’m sure he was a bit emotional after the flag. So, I’m really looking forward to leaving here and catching up with him because it’s not been easy at times for him.
“I’m just very proud to be able to work with someone that good. A proper example of someone that never gave up this season, even through the difficult times.”
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