Lambiase Leaves Red Bull for McLaren in F1’s Biggest Backroom Move in Years
Four world championships. One race engineer. Now he’s going to the opposition.
Red Bull have confirmed that Gianpiero Lambiase — the man behind the radio, the engineer behind every one of Max Verstappen’s four F1 titles since 2021 — will leave the team when his contract expires in 2028. McLaren will get him after that, in a newly created role as Chief Racing Officer, reporting directly to team principal Andrea Stella.
Lambiase joined Red Bull in 2015. What followed was one of the most decorated engineer-driver partnerships in F1 history. Every strategy call, every setup decision, every composed voice in Verstappen’s ear through championship battles — that was him.
Red Bull kept the statement warm. “GP is a valued member of the team — fully committed to add more success to our strong track record together.” Translation: he’s staying professional until the end.
McLaren were more forward-looking. Lambiase is “the latest hire designed to strengthen and support the talent pool,” they said, “reaffirming the team’s long-term commitment.”
The move won’t land until 2028 at the earliest. But in F1, where institutional knowledge and engineering talent determine championships as much as machinery, this is significant. McLaren are building something. And they just added one of the most important names in the paddock.