RacingGianpiero Lambiase will leave Red Bull at the end of 2027 and join McLaren from 2028 on a lucrative deal that positions him as Andrea Stella’s eventual successor as team principal. The move takes Max Verstappen’s long-time race engineer to a direct title rival, with Lando Norris leading McLaren’s charge.
Lambiase has run Verstappen’s races since 2016 and now serves as Red Bull’s Head of Racing. That partnership is credited with 71 wins and four drivers’ championships, the backbone of Red Bull’s modern era. Losing the voice in Verstappen’s ear and a senior leader inside race operations could be Red Bull’s biggest personnel hit yet. Lambiase will see out his Red Bull contract through 2027 before switching camps.
McLaren has earmarked Lambiase as the designated heir to Stella, a clear marker of how the team views its next phase. It continues a pattern of hiring from Red Bull after bringing in Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay, a targeted blend of technical know-how and race-day expertise to support McLaren’s climb.
Dutch outlets De Telegraaf and De Limburger report Lambiase accepted an astronomical, multi-million offer. According to those reports, McLaren beat Aston Martin and Williams to his signature, locking in a high-profile addition well ahead of 2028. The long runway gives McLaren time to plan a handover while Lambiase completes his commitments in Milton Keynes.
This lands in the middle of a live Red Bull vs McLaren title fight. Verstappen won the championship in 2024. Norris took the crown last season. The switch of Verstappen’s race engineer to the other side adds fresh edge to a rivalry already defined by tight development races and fine margins on Sundays. McLaren gains not only race-craft experience from the pit wall but also insight into how Red Bull structures its operations, even if by 2028 much will have moved on.
The timeline matters. With Lambiase unavailable until 2028, nothing changes for Verstappen and Red Bull in the short term. But McLaren’s intent is plain. Tie down a proven race leader now, map a clean succession for Stella, and keep building a team that can sustain title runs. For Red Bull, the task is to manage continuity around Verstappen while preparing for life without the engineer who has been at the heart of their run.