Max Verstappen’s Race Engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to Join McLaren in 2028

Gianpiero Lambiase, the long-time race engineer for four-time World Champion Max Verstappen, has agreed to leave Red Bull Racing to join McLaren. The move, confirmed on April 9, 2026, will see Lambiase take on the role of Chief Racing Officer at the Woking-based team.

Lambiase will join McLaren upon the expiration of his current contract with Red Bull. While Red Bull stated he will leave the team in 2028, sources reported to ESPN indicate the transition will occur at the conclusion of his existing agreement at the end of 2027.

In his new capacity as Chief Racing Officer, Lambiase will report directly to McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella. The position already exists within the team’s organizational structure and is responsible for the overall leadership of the race team.

According to a statement from McLaren, these duties are currently managed by Andrea Stella in addition to his responsibilities as Team Principal. The team stated that the hire is intended to strengthen and support the talent pool that exists at McLaren as part of a long-term commitment to remaining a championship-winning team.

Red Bull Racing also confirmed the departure in a statement released on April 9, 2026, noting that Lambiase is a valued member of the team who joined the organization 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.

Oracle Red Bull Racing

A decade of engineering expertise

Lambiase, often referred to as GP, has maintained a close professional partnership with Max Verstappen since the driver was promoted to the Red Bull team from Toro Rosso in 2016. The pair first worked together during the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, a race Verstappen won to become the youngest winner in the history of the sport at age 18.

Before his tenure with Verstappen, Lambiase began his Formula 1 career in 2005 as a data engineer for the Jordan team. He later transitioned into a race engineer role during the team’s period as Force India before moving to Red Bull in 2015, where he initially served as the race engineer for Daniil Kvyat.

In addition to his duties as Verstappen’s race engineer, Lambiase recently expanded his responsibilities at Red Bull to include the role of Head of Racing.

Red Bull’s shifting leadership

Lambiase’s planned exit is part of a broader trend of senior personnel leaving Red Bull Racing for McLaren. Rob Marshall joined McLaren as chief designer at the start of 2024, and Will Courtenay, the former Red Bull head of race strategy, became McLaren’s sporting director in January 2026.

The team has also seen the departure of Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey and Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley since the beginning of 2024. These exits preceded the firing of former team principal Christian Horner in July 2025.

Implications for Max Verstappen

The news of Lambiase’s departure comes amid ongoing speculation regarding the future of Max Verstappen. The four-time world champion has strongly hinted that he may leave Formula 1 at the end of 2026.

While Lambiase’s contract runs through the end of 2027 or into 2028, reports indicate he was a target for other teams before choosing McLaren. Sources told ESPN that Lambiase rejected an approach from Aston Martin in late 2025.