Overview
- Team statements on Thursday confirmed Gianpiero Lambiase will leave Red Bull to take a senior role at McLaren as Chief Racing Officer, starting no later than 2028.
- Red Bull said he will remain Head of Racing and Max Verstappen’s race engineer until his contract ends, while McLaren noted he could arrive earlier if both teams agree to a release.
- At McLaren he will report to team principal Andrea Stella and take over race‑week duties Stella has been handling so the team can split leadership between track operations and overall management.
- The switch ends Verstappen’s decade-long race‑engineer partnership as the driver voices doubts about continuing under the 2026 rules, with multiple outlets reporting performance‑based exit options in his Red Bull deal.
- McLaren beat interest from Aston Martin and Williams and continues to hire senior Red Bull talent such as Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay, as Red Bull deals with recent high‑profile departures including Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley and Christian Horner.