Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is set to join McLaren in 2028, Sky Sports News understands. Lambiase would remain at Red Bull until permitted to move, and his switch could be pivotal for Verstappen, who has previously said he would leave F1 if Lambiase were not his race engineer.
Lambiase has been Verstappen’s only race engineer since the driver joined Red Bull in 2016. Sky Sports News understands he will become McLaren’s head of race engineering. Current McLaren team principal Andrea Stella’s position is expected to be unaffected; Stella, who joined McLaren from Ferrari in 2015 and became team principal in 2023, has overseen back-to-back constructors’ titles.
Sources close to Stella deny rumours linking him to a Ferrari return and say Lambiase’s arrival will give Stella more freedom to focus on aspects of his team principal role. Lambiase recently turned down an offer from Aston Martin to be team principal after holding talks with McLaren. Red Bull and McLaren declined to comment.
The move intensifies speculation about Verstappen’s future after his criticism of F1’s 2026 regulations. At the Japanese Grand Prix he said he was considering walking away from the sport at the end of the season despite a Red Bull contract running to 2028.
Lambiase is the latest senior Red Bull figure to join McLaren following technical director Rob Marshall in 2024 and sporting director Will Courtenay this year. Designer Adrian Newey moved to Aston Martin last year, while Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko have also departed Red Bull.
Verstappen and Lambiase’s working relationship is widely described as close and blunt. After winning his first title in 2021 Verstappen said: “I have said to him I only work with him. As soon as he stops, I stop too.” He has praised the direct communication between them, saying they know each other very well after years together. Radio exchanges between the pair have sometimes appeared confrontational, but Verstappen and Lambiase say that forthright style works for them.
Lambiase became Red Bull’s head of racing at the start of 2025 after Jonathan Wheatley’s departure, sitting behind team principal Laurent Mekies and technical director Pierre Wache in the hierarchy, though his main role remains race engineer to Verstappen. Lambiase has said broadcasted radio moments don’t always reflect their private conversations, and praised Verstappen’s ability to absorb information under pressure.
Sky Sports’ Nigel Chiu said the move is a major gain for McLaren and a significant loss for Red Bull, noting Lambiase’s decade-long role managing one of the sport’s most successful drivers. Chiu suggested the transfer could be another sign Verstappen is contemplating a future away from Red Bull and possibly from F1.
Formula 1 returns on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix.