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Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu has picked out the first ‘challenge’ Gianpiero Lambiase will face at McLaren.
Last Thursday, it was announced that Lambiase will be leaving Red Bull in 2028 to join rivals McLaren.
Amid rumours that Lambiase would replace Andrea Stella as team principal, McLaren went on to confirm that the 45-year-old will, in fact, take on the role of Chief Racing Officer.
Lambiase is set to join the long list of high-profile Red Bull departures, which includes the likes of Christian Horner, Jonathan Wheatley, Adrian Newey and Rob Marshall.
Are Red Bull’s days as a top F1 team coming to an end?
Ayao Komatsu on the ‘challenge’ facing Gianpiero Lambiase at McLaren
Appearing on the recent episode of the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast, Haas team boss Komatsu spoke about Lambiase’s move to McLaren.
The Haas team boss was quizzed on whether he had any advice for Lambiase, but pointed out the fact that the Red Bull man’s situation is ‘very different’ to what he faced at Haas.
Komatsu explained that Lambiase will have to deal with the challenge of going to a new team and getting to know the people within the organisation in order to work out their strengths and weaknesses.
Komatsu said: “I don’t know if I can give any advice. As I said, the situation at McLaren is very different to our situation. Also, his strengths and weaknesses are, I’m sure, different to my strengths and weaknesses.
“For instance, he is going to a new team. When I got my job here, I’ve been with the team for eight years. So I knew everyone and their strengths and weaknesses in this organisation.
“So, his challenge will be very different. But I’m sure he is a highly capable individual, so I’m sure he can attack the new challenges very well.”
Eight key figures gone in three years at Red Bull – Which exit hurts Red Bull the most? 🤔
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READ MORE: Gianpiero Lambiase leaked Aston Martin approach to put himself on the ‘market’ for Red Bull rivals
What did Max Verstappen say about Gianpiero Lambiase’s McLaren move?
On Thursday evening, Verstappen spoke about Lambiase’s decision to leave Red Bull for McLaren.
The Dutchman revealed that Lambiase had asked for ‘permission’ before accepting an offer from McLaren.
As reported by Dutch news outlet De Telegraaf, Verstappen said: “He told me what kind of offer he got. I said you’d be stupid not to do that. We have already achieved everything together.
“And then he gets such a great offer, also with an eye to his family and the security he gets from it.
“He asked me for some kind of permission, and I told him to be 100% sure. He wanted to hear that from my mouth.”
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