Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Max Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will leave Red Bull at the end of next year to join McLaren, it has been reported.
Lambiase is under contract at Red Bull until the end of next year, but when that deal is up, he will join Red Bull’s rivals. Verstappen has worked with the Englishman since he joined from Toro Rosso in 2016, so the impending move naturally raises further questions about his future.
In another hugely significant development, De Telegraaf say Lambiase’s arrival at McLaren is connected to the expected departure of team principal Andrea Stella in the near future. Stella is being linked to his old team Ferrari.
GP is joining McLaren! What does this mean for Verstappen and Red Bull?
The news comes from Erik van Haren of De Telegraaf
Gianpiero Lambiase becomes latest big name to leave Red Bull
Lambiase rejected the Aston Martin team principal role during the off-season, and he was also linked with Williams. Having been promoted to head of racing at Red Bull, he has made clear that he won’t be the race engineer for any other driver.
The motivation for Lambiase’s move is still unknown, but salary is one factor. Sources have told De Telegraaf that he will earn ‘many times’ his current wage at McLaren, which indicates how highly regarded he is in the F1 paddock.
It sounds like Andrea Stella could leave McLaren! How big a blow would this be?
Erik van Haren of De Telegraaf broke the story
Lambiase will reunite with chief designer Rob Marshall and chief strategist Will Courtenay, who have both made moves from Red Bull to McLaren in the recent past. A litany of senior figures have departed the team in an increasingly concerning trend.
Reports this week suggest technical director Pierre Wache is under pressure, so he could be the next to leave.
Gianpiero Lambiase to become McLaren team principal amid Andrea Stella rumours?
Given Lambiase’s seniority and Stella’s uncertain future, logic dictates that he could become McLaren’s team boss in 2028, working under Zak Brown.
If that is the case, McLaren have overlooked any internal candidates to bring in a formidable engineer from elsewhere. Lambiase has won four world championships alongside Verstappen.
Perhaps Stella will stay and they will co-exist within the hierarchy, but the mention of a return to Ferrari should worry Fred Vasseur, who only signed a new contract last year after rumours about a potential leadership change.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
