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Jeroen Bleekemolen has warned Red Bull that Gianpiero Lambiase joining the exodus of key staff members by moving to McLaren may also tempt Max Verstappen to leave.
Lambiase is believed to have agreed to join McLaren for the 2028 season, once his contract at Red Bull expires in 2027. It was initially suggested that Lambiase is due to join McLaren as they sense Andrea Stella may return to Ferrari, but they are now expected to work together.
After the early claims that Lambiase has agreed to join McLaren in 2028 in view of becoming their team principal, reports emerged that McLaren targeted Lambiase as they believe Stella needs more help. Lambiase is now expected to focus on the racing and trackside operations.
Lambiase’s experience as a race engineer, as well as Red Bull’s head of racing since 2025, stood out to McLaren. The British-Italian engineer has worked in Formula 1 since 2005, and has spent the last decade at Red Bull working closely with Daniil Kvyat and later Verstappen.
GP is joining McLaren! What does this mean for Verstappen and Red Bull?
The news comes from Erik van Haren of De Telegraaf
Red Bull warned that Gianpiero Lambiase joining McLaren could tempt Max Verstappen to leave
But Lambiase is now set to follow Red Bull’s former chief designer Rob Marshall and head of strategy Will Courtenay, after they both moved to McLaren in 2024 and 2026. Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley also left Red Bull in 2024, before Christian Horner was fired in 2025.
READ MORE: All to know about Max Verstappen’s F1 race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase
Bleekemolen feels Lambiase joining the exodus of key figures from Red Bull may also tempt Verstappen to leave, especially as the Dutchman is currently threatening to retire from F1 in 2026. Verstappen is likely to get the right to quit this year via a release clause in his contract.
“For Max, this might be extra motivation to start looking elsewhere himself,” Bleekemolen told Formule1.nl.
“Max can manage without Lambiase, let that be clear. But of course, they are a rock-solid duo. They understand each other well, and I think they have a lot of fun together. This naturally has an impact.”
Bleekemolen added: “As a team, you naturally prefer not to see your best people go to the competition. That sends the wrong signal, also to Max Verstappen.
“You want him to keep believing in it because if Max leaves as well, there won’t be much left. On the other hand, what strikes us most is that many key figures are leaving Red Bull.
“But of course, other people are coming back to replace them. If those are young, ambitious people who have not won world titles yet, that could be a positive thing in itself. But my feeling is that the balance is tipping to the wrong side.”
Will Max Verstappen keep his word as Gianperio Lambiase leaves Red Bull?
Verstappen adopted Lambiase as his race engineer upon him graduating to Red Bull in 2016. The pair have since built a very close friendship, which has helped the Dutchman win the F1 drivers’ championship four times, score 71 Grand Prix wins and reach the podium 127 times.
But Verstappen is threatening to retire from F1 in 2026 as he detests the engine regulations introduced this season, as F1 made the battery more important. Red Bull have also failed to adapt to the new chassis and aero regulations so far, to further worsen Verstappen’s mood.
The RB22 has severe balance issues, which saw Verstappen dub Sprint Qualifying in China a “disaster” after fighting with understeer. Also, a blend of understeer on turn-in and oversteer under acceleration saw Verstappen call Red Bull’s car “undriveable” after qualifying in Japan.
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