Gianpiero Lambiase, the long-time race engineer of Max Verstappen and current Head of Racing at Red Bull, is set to leave the team after his contract expires at the end of 2027 and join rival McLaren from 2028.
The 45-year-old British-Italian engineer still has a binding contract with Red Bull until 2027, meaning he will remain in his dual role overseeing Verstappen’s race operations and heading the racing department for the next two seasons. However, multiple sources, building on earlier reports from De Limburger, confirm that McLaren has won the race to secure his services starting in 2028.
Big Financial and Positional Leap
McLaren is understood to have offered Lambiase a significantly higher salary potentially many times his current Red Bull package along with a major promotion. The move comes as the Woking-based team prepares for the possible departure of team principal Andrea Stella, who has been heavily linked with a return to Ferrari.
Lambiase was also courted by Aston Martin and Williams in recent months, but McLaren ultimately emerged as the favourite. This would mark another high-profile defection from Red Bull’s technical and sporting ranks to McLaren, following chief designer Rob Marshall and chief strategist Will Courtenay.
End of an Era with Verstappen
Lambiase has worked closely with Max Verstappen since the Dutchman’s promotion to Red Bull in May 2016. The pair share an exceptionally strong bond, with Lambiase once stating he would never want to race engineer another driver. Their partnership has delivered four World Drivers’ Championships and countless memorable race victories.
Red Bull has suffered several high-profile exits in recent years, including the departure of team principal Christian Horner, top advisor Helmut Marko’s reduced influence, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, and technical director Adrian Newey (to Aston Martin). Lambiase’s eventual exit would represent another significant loss.
Neither Red Bull nor McLaren have commented officially on the reports at this stage.
For Verstappen, the news marks the beginning of the end of one of F1’s most successful driver-engineer relationships. While stability remains until the end of 2027, the 2028 season will bring a major change on the Red Bull pit wall.