F1 news: Gianpiero Lambiase’s Red Bull departure and what it means for Max Verstappen’s future
Max Verstappen’s longtime race engineer, Gianpiero ‘GP’ Lambiase, has announced he will leave Red Bull for McLaren.
The move adds to a long list of key exits from the Milton Keynes team over the last two years, most notably Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Helmut Mark, and Jonathon Wheatley.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer and F1 fan Luca Salmasi takes a closer look at Lambiase’s time with Red Bull and what his departure could mean for Verstappen’s future.
Lambiase a wanted man
Lambiase has worked with Verstappen since the Dutchman joined the team in 2016, with the two forming one of the closest driver-engineer partnerships on the grid.
Together, they won four consecutive world championships from 2021 to 2024.
Lambiase has reportedly been weighing up his future with Red Bull for some time, so his departure isn’t a complete surprise – but his chosen destination is unexpected.
Alongside McLaren, Aston Martin chased him last year in a bid to bring him across to Silverstone.
The British team has seen huge investment from billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll as well as an influx of talented personnel, including Newey from Red Bull and Enrico Cardile from Ferrari.
Ultimately, though, when the reigning world champions come calling and Red Bull’s season hasn’t been at the standard expected of them, it is an opportunity that can't be ignored.
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Senior role at McLaren
Lambiase has long been interested in a senior management position, which led Red Bull to expand his role beyond being Verstappen’s race engineer and promote him to head of racing in 2024.
Indeed, across his time at Red Bull, he has gradually become one of the most influential voices within the team.
2028 is cited as the latest year Lambiase will join McLaren, although the deal will most likely begin once his contract with Red Bull ends next year.
At McLaren, Lambiase’s role will be to support and work alongside current team principal Andrea Stella, removing some of the race-weekend responsibilities and focusing on running the trackside team.
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What next for Verstappen?
Lambiase’s departure follows a tough opening three rounds for Red Bull.
Verstappen, who has been openly frustrated with the 2026 cars, is aggravated by this and considering the possibility of walking away from the sport altogether.
His mindset and anger are understandable for a four-time world champion, and Lambiase’s departure could be the tipping point he needs to either jump ship or retire.
If things don’t drastically improve for the team by the mandatory summer break, that will be the most likely opportunity for Verstappen to decide his future.
Alongside Red Bull’s poor start to the season, Lambiase is the latest of several key personnel to leave the outfit.
And whilst it isn’t unusual for staff to be leaving during this period after a successful stint from 2021 to 2024, seeing so many significant faces departing Red Bull in such a short space of time is a notable issue.
Red Bull will need to reverse this trend and start making themselves more attractive to other high-profile names within the F1 paddock.
They can’t do this if the car is running poorly on the track, so if things don’t improve quickly, the task of bringing in a suitable replacement will be that much harder.
Should Verstappen call it quits as a result, that would mark a sour end to his time at Red Bull.
