Max Verstappen reveals what Gianpiero Lambiase asked him after receiving McLaren offer

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Max Verstappen has spoken about Gianpiero Lambiase’s decision to leave Red Bull for McLaren in 2028.

Last week, the Formula 1 world was stunned by the news that Lambiase had agreed to join McLaren in 2028.

The 45-year-old is to take on the role of Chief Racing Officer and will report to team principal, Andrea Stella.

Since Lambiase’s move was confirmed, further doubts have been raised about Verstappen’s Red Bull future. 

On Thursday, while appearing at an event in Amsterdam, Verstappen was asked about Lambiase’s McLaren move. 

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Max Verstappen speaks out on Gianpiero Lambiase’s McLaren move

As reported by Dutch news outlet De Telegraaf, Verstappen revealed the conversation he had with Lambiase.

The Dutchman stated that Lambiase told him ‘what kind of offer’ he had on the table and sought ‘permission’ before accepting.

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.”

READ MORE: Laurent Mekies has now stopped listening to Max Verstappen just like Christian Horner

Red Bull urged to part ways with Gianpiero Lambiase before 2028

With Lambiase set to join Red Bull’s rivals McLaren in 2028, the Milton Keynes-based team have been urged to cut ties early.

Speaking on the latest episode of The RacingNews365 Podcast, Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel claimed that Red Bull should think about replacing Lambiase to prevent him from taking important information to McLaren. 

He explained: “My gut feeling tells me the sooner you do these kinds of things, the better it is for the whole situation.

“Because then, you will part ways sooner, you are going to speed up the process. So this could go faster than you think.

“As a team, you don’t want him to have all the information, because you are going to find out so many new things. I mean, why would you make someone better if he is going to a competitor?”