Lambiase to Join McLaren in 2028
Leading Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase has agreed to join McLaren starting in 2028.
British engineer Lambiase, best known as Max Verstappen's race engineer, will assume a role supporting McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. The precise details and official title of his new position have not been disclosed outside McLaren.
This move is intended to strengthen McLaren's race operations amid the increasing complexity of Formula 1.
Neither McLaren nor Red Bull have issued comments regarding the move. However, senior insiders from both teams have confirmed the information to on condition of anonymity.
Context of the Move and Red Bull Departures
Lambiase, currently Red Bull's head of race engineering, will be the third senior figure from Red Bull to join McLaren in recent years.
Rob Marshall joined McLaren as chief designer at the start of 2024, and former Red Bull head of race strategy Will Courtenay became McLaren's sporting director in January 2024.
Red Bull has also lost chief technical officer Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley since early 2024. Both departed before former team principal Christian Horner was dismissed in July 2025.
Integration into McLaren's Structure
Lambiase will join a McLaren race-operations support team that already includes Courtenay and racing director Randy Singh.
The plan is for Lambiase's role to enable Stella to concentrate more on leadership responsibilities. Currently, Stella holds two roles: team principal and effectively technical director.
McLaren's engineering structure includes three technical directors—Peter Prodromou, Mark Temple, and Neil Houldey—responsible for aerodynamics, performance, and engineering respectively. Alongside Rob Marshall, they report to Stella regarding car design.
Lambiase is expected to relieve Stella of some racing and trackside duties.
Reports suggesting Lambiase's recruitment signals Stella's potential departure to Ferrari have been denied by McLaren insiders.
Lambiase's Relationship with Verstappen
Lambiase is well known for his close working relationship with four-time world champion Max Verstappen, having worked with him since Verstappen joined Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen said at the last race in Japan that he was considering his future in F1 as a result of not enjoying driving the new cars.
- Why Honda engine is not the only issue with Aston Martin - F1 Q&A
- Andrew Benson Q&A: Send us your questions
- Can you name every F1 constructors' champion?
- Chequered Flag Extra: Q&A Special
