The news arrived this morning and shook the entire paddock. McLaren and Red Bull officially confirmed that Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen’s race engineer for ten years and one of the architects of his four consecutive world titles, will leave Red Bull at the end of 2027 to join McLaren as Chief Racing Officer. And with that confirmation, the question everyone is asking is the same: is Verstappen leaving too?
Who is GP and why this matters so much
Gianpiero Lambiase is not just another engineer. Born in Bedford to Italian parents in 1980, he entered Formula 1 through Jordan’s door in the mid-2000s, established himself at Force India and joined Red Bull in 2015. His name became global on May 15, 2016, when an 18-year-old named Max Verstappen, freshly arrived from Toro Rosso, won his first race in Spain. Lambiase was on the other end of the radio. From that moment they never separated.
Ten years. Seventy-one victories together. Four world championships. A relationship the Verstappen himself described as a marriage, with arguments, brutal radio tensions and absolute trust built race by race. In 2024, Lambiase was also promoted to Red Bull’s Head of Racing, taking on responsibilities far beyond the pit wall.
Today, McLaren announced they are taking him. The deal is described by multiple sources as an astronomical offer, well above his Red Bull salary. Lambiase will join the Woking team no later than 2028, reporting directly to Andrea Stella.
The phrase that explains everything
In 2021, after winning his first world title, Verstappen was asked about his future with Lambiase. His answer on Ziggo Sport was direct and unfiltered, as always: “I have said to him I only work with him. As soon as he stops, I stop too.”
That phrase, spoken five years ago, carries very different weight today. Lambiase is leaving. And the paddock sources consulted this morning by ESPN are unanimous: the engineer’s departure makes it more likely than ever that Verstappen will not continue in Formula 1 beyond 2026.
The systematic dismantling of Red Bull
What is happening at Red Bull in 2026 has no precedent in the recent history of Formula 1. The team that dominated the sport between 2021 and 2024 with four constructors’ and four drivers’ titles is losing its key people at a rate that is beginning to look like an organised evacuation.
Christian Horner was sacked last year. Adrian Newey left for Aston Martin. Jonathan Wheatley to Audi. Helmut Marko, the godfather of the drivers’ academy and the man who brought Verstappen to the team, left at the end of 2025. Rob Marshall, the chief designer, has been at McLaren for some time. Will Courtenay too. Verstappen’s chief mechanic Matt Caller left for Audi in the winter. And now GP.
It is Formula 1’s Jenga game. Every piece removed puts the tower’s stability at greater risk. And today’s was the most important one left.
What comes next: Verstappen, Miami and the silence that says everything
Verstappen has not yet commented on the Lambiase news. But he doesn’t need to his track record of statements says it all. In 2022 he told Channel 4: “I cannot see myself without GP on my side as an engineer.” In Japan two weeks ago he told the BBC he is seriously thinking about retiring at the end of 2026. He has an exit clause in his Red Bull contract that he can activate between August and October if he is outside the top two in the championship. He currently sits ninth.
The question is no longer whether Verstappen will stay at Red Bull beyond 2026. The question is whether he will stay in Formula 1 at all.
Miami on May 3rd. The first race after the break. And the first opportunity for Verstappen to answer on track or in front of the microphones.
Sources: ESPN, Sky Sports F1, The Race, PlanetF1, RacingNews365, GPFans, Motorsport.com, Read Motorsport, Sport Bible, Speedcafe, Motorsport Week, De Telegraaf, De Limburger
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