UPDATED: Verstappen’s engineer Lambiase to join McLaren

Max Verstappen’s race engineer GianPiero Lambiase is set to leave Red Bull to become chief racing officer at McLaren.

Lambiase (pictured at left, above) is well-known for his partnership with Verstappen, but has also been Red Bull’s head of race engineering, and has been a long-term target of McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella to join the constructors’ champions.

RACER understands Lambiase will join McLaren in a role that will feature a number of responsibilities that are currently carried out by Stella, with the current team principal having been instrumental in his recruitment. It is understood that the addition of Lambiase is viewed as a strengthening of McLaren’s structure as it looks to build on its recent success, and reports that Stella is lined up for a move to Ferrari are wide of the mark.

Red Bull confirmed the news later on Thursday, stating Lambiase will continue as Verstappen’s engineer until his departure.

“Oracle Red Bull Racing confirms that GianPiero Lambiase will leave the team in 2028, when his current contract expires. 'GP' is a valued member of the team, which he joined in 2015. Until his planned departure, GP continues in his roles as Head of Racing and as Race Engineer to Max Verstappen.

“The team and he are fully committed to add more success to our strong track record together.”

Lambiase will join no later than 2028 due to "gardening leave" requirements, although teams often negotiate regarding the move date to reach an earlier agreement.

While McLaren has signed a highly rated engineer to try and strengthen its position as a front-runner in Formula 1, for Red Bull it marks another senior departure following the likes of Christian Horner, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley in recent seasons. Will Courtenay also left Red Bull – where he was head of strategy – for the position of sporting director at McLaren, starting in his new role this year.

News of Lambiase’s move comes at a time when Verstappen has been openly questioning his immediate future in Formula 1, citing his dissatisfaction with the new regulations and a lack of enjoyment driving the car. Lambiase has been Verstappen’s race engineer for all four of his drivers’ championships, on one of the sport’s most successful partnerships.