Red Bull has been braced for a major personnel exit, as Max Verstappen‘s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is reportedly set for a long-term move to Formula 1 rivals McLaren.
The Italian-Brit has been with the Milton Keynes-based squad since 2014, and has served as Verstappen’s race engineer for the entirety of the Dutchman’s tenure with the team.
As well as holding the titles of Head of Race Engineering and ‘head of racing’, Lambiase has become a well-known figure in the sport.
His often frank, blunt or humorous way with words on the pit wall in conversation with Verstappen has helped him become a well-known and much-liked figure in his own right.
And Lambiase has undoubtedly been rightly credited for being a big part of Verstappen’s success, the two enjoying a close friendship as a consequence.
But a report from De Limburger, verified by De Telegraaf‘s Erik van Haren, has stated that Lambiase is set to move down the pit lane to one of Red Bull’s chief rivals.
The report states that Lambiase has been offered a huge sum – far exceeding his Red Bull salary – to move to the Woking-based outfit, but would only make the switch after his current contract expires at the end of 2027.
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It would mean that McLaren will be seen as having fought off competition from other teams for Lambiase’s services, with rumours at the end of last year linking him with moves to Williams and Aston Martin.
If true, Lambiase would be the key Red Bull figure to move to McLaren in as many years, with Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay also jumping ship.
A Lambiase departure would also be yet another major Red Bull personnel exit, the team having faced major shake-ups over the last 18 months.
Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley were the first big names to move elsewhere, which was followed by the high-profile departures of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko.
The report suggests that Lambiase will be brought in to replace current Team Principal Andrea Stella, with additional speculation linking the Italian with a move back to Ferrari, where he was a race engineer.
This will naturally fuel further speculation that Verstappen is seriously considering retiring from F1, after making a series of hints about his future since the start of the season.
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