McLaren have already made Red Bull signing that ‘hurts’ even more than Gianpiero Lambiase exit

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Ex-Formula 1 driver Christijan Albers has claimed that McLaren have already made a Red Bull signing that ‘hurts’ more than Gianpiero Lambiase’s departure.

Last week, the F1 world was stunned by the confirmation that Lambiase will join McLaren from Red Bull in 2028.

The 45-year-old, who has been working as Max Verstappen’s race engineer, will become McLaren’s Chief Racing Engineer. 

Aside from Lambiase, Red Bull have been hit with a long list of high-profile exits in recent times, including the likes of Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley and Will Courtenay. 

However, according to Albers, one departure ‘hurts’ more than the above-mentioned names. 

Eight key figures gone in three years at Red Bull – Which exit hurts Red Bull the most? 🤔

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Rob Marshall’s move from Red Bull to McLaren ‘hurts’ the most

Speaking to Dutch F1 journalist Erik van Haren on Telesport, ex-Minardi driver Albers stated that losing Rob Marshall to McLaren was the exit that ‘hurts’ the most. 

When speaking about the job Laurent Mekies has at Red Bull, Albers said: “He has to start building a team again. We were already missing Adrian Newey; we’re missing Rob Marshall, the other ones.

“Rob Marshall, that Rob Marshall, is the one who hurts the most out of all of them because he is just really good.

“But, he (Mekies) just has to, and this is the really difficult part, he has to start creating a new team and you really need time for that.

“Let’s be very honest, between you and me, last year did not go fantastically either, but almost no one is talking anymore because they suddenly made up the deficit and won six races.”

Can Red Bull attract great drivers to their team if Max Verstappen leaves?

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READ MORE: Alex Brundle shares why Red Bull must replace Max Verstappen engineer Gianpiero Lambiase after 2026

Who is Rob Marshall and what is his role at McLaren?

Back in 2006, Marshall joined Red Bull to work with Newey in the car design team. In 2016, he was promoted to the position of Chief Engineering Officer.

In 2023, after a 17-year stint, Marshall left Red Bull to join rivals McLaren as Technical Director, a role that sees him leading the Engineering and Design teams.

Three months into his new role at McLaren, Marshall was named Chief Designer and has since played a key part in the team’s triumphs in 2024 and 2025.