Max Verstappen to lose key ally as race engineer GianPiero Lambiase poached by McLaren
Max Verstappen is about to lose one of his closest allies, with his race engineer GianPiero Lambiase poached by rivals McLaren as its chief racing officer.
Having engineered Verstappen to each of his four world championships, 'GP' will leave Red Bull at the end of his current contract and join McLaren as its chief racing officer 'no later than 2028'.
“'GP' is a valued member of the team, which he joined in 2015,” Red Bull said in a statement.
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"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."
Max Verstappen and race engineer GianPiero Lambiase after the 2024 Las Vegas grand prix, where he secured his fourth successive world championship. Getty
The move to McLaren will see team principal Andrea Stella delegate part of his current role. Lambiase would answer to Stella.
"The role of the Chief Racing Officer already exists within the team’s structure with overall leadership of the race team. These duties are currently managed by Andrea Stella in addition to his role as Team Principal," McLaren said.
In his own brief statement on X, McLaren chief executive Zak Brown added he's "excited about what we can achieve together".
The move could fuel speculation around Verstappen's future in F1. The four-time champion has been a vocal critic of the increased reliance on electrical power in the new generation of F1 cars, has his own racing projects outside of F1 and has talked about wanting to spend more time with his family.
He told BBC radio last month he would consider his future and didn't rule out leaving the sport at the end of the season.
Lambiase could potentially be forced to take a period of 'gardening leave' - an enforced stand-down period at the end of his Red Bull tenure where he finishes working with the team but cannot yet start with McLaren. It's effectively a non-compete period to minimise the transfer of intellectual property between teams. It's a common practice in F1.
Lambiase has become famous for his calm demeanor on team radio, and his uncanny ability to calm Verstappen down in the heat of battle. He has also delivered several witty comebacks when Verstappen has thrown barbs at him.
F1 is in the middle of an extended layoff following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix. The season will resume in Miami on May 4 (AEST).
- with Damien McCartney
