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Lando Norris believes that Gianpiero Lambiase is a ‘cool addition’ to McLaren as he reacts to the news that he will be joining the team from Red Bull.
The shocking news came over the April break that Lambiase will join McLaren from 2028. He has served as Max Verstappen’s race engineer at Red Bull since he joined the team in 2016.
He is also the Milton Keynes outfit’s Head of Racing, but he is stepping into a more senior role with their Woking rivals at the end of next season. Lambiase will reunite with Will Courtenay and Rob Marshall at McLaren, who left Red Bull in 2024.
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Helmut Marko claims Red Bull have already replaced Lambiase with someone from Ferrari, but no official announcement has been made. The British engineer will serve a period of gardening leave, but it is anticipated that he could join McLaren sooner than 2028.
His new role will see him take some weight off team principal Andrea Stella’s shoulders, and he will no doubt work closely with Norris and Oscar Piastri. The former is excited by his arrival.
Lando Norris thinks Gianpiero Lambiase can help ‘elevate’ McLaren when he joins from Red Bull
Speaking to Sky Sports, the McLaren star reacted to Lambiase’s signing and the expertise that he will bring the team behind the scenes: “I mean, we’ve already got an incredibly strong team, and in some ways, you think like, what other space do you want to fill?
“But we want the best of the best in every area. As a team, we believe there’s an area that he can cover and a responsibility that he can improve within our team.
“But it’s all about working together well and we believe he’s a good team player and someone that can just help us elevate in another area and we want to be the best in every single area possible.
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“So it’s still something that’s a long way away, it’s for a few years down the line, but he’s obviously a great guy. He’s someone who’s achieved an incredible amount with Max.
“Everyone knows of him and everyone hears him on the radio every now and then. So he’s a cool addition, and I think it’s a great opportunity for us to learn from someone new.
“But it’s also something good to have another guy join the team and someone that wants to join McLaren as well. That makes it even better.”
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What Andrea Stella has outlined about Gianpiero Lambiase’s McLaren role amid exit rumours
Stella spoke out on Lambiase joining McLaren, stating how attractive the team has become and how their results on the track contributed to his arrival.
As aforementioned, Lambiase will work closely with the Italian, but rumours suggested that he could potentially replace the team principal amid links to his former team, Ferrari.
But those rumours have been strongly denied by Stella and McLaren, saying that Lambiase will take the role of Chief Racing Officer, a role that the team principal also holds.
Stella says his dual role is ‘not sustainable’ as there is too much responsibility on his shoulders. Bringing in Lambiase not only takes the weight off him, but it also gives the team extra experience and quality for their project.
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