Overview
- Red Bull and McLaren confirmed Thursday that Lambiase will leave when his deal ends and join McLaren as Chief Racing Officer, with McLaren saying he will arrive no later than 2028.
- Lambiase will remain at Red Bull as Head of Racing and as Max Verstappen’s race engineer until he departs, according to the team’s statement.
- He is contracted through the end of 2027, and reporting notes he could move sooner if the teams negotiate an early release.
- Lambiase has engineered Verstappen since 2016 and their partnership delivered four world titles, which makes the move a fresh blow as Verstappen questions continuing under the 2026 regulations.
- McLaren says Lambiase will report to team boss Andrea Stella and take on race-team leadership duties, extending a hiring run that already brought ex-Red Bull leaders Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay and adding to Red Bull’s recent senior exits, including Christian Horner, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley.