Max Verstappen has broken his silence over Formula 1 race engineer Gian Piero Lambiase’s shock defection to McLaren in 2028, with surprising words for his longtime ally.
The news that Lambiase would leave Red Bull to take up a role at McLaren sent shockwaves throughout the F1 paddock.
Lambiase’s defection comes amid a swathe of departures from Red Bull in the last 18 months, including Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley.
Combined with a poor start to 2026, thanks to issues with the RB22, the once ultra-dominant team has been picked apart for its top brass.
Red Bull delivered a short statement confirming Lambiase’s departure, but Verstappen remained silent.
The four-time World Champion has now spoken about the departure of his long-term ally, revealing Lambiase told him about the offer privately.
“He told me what kind of offer he’d received,” he said to Viaplay. “I said: ‘You’d be daft not to take it.’
“We’ve already achieved everything together and then he gets such a fantastic offer, especially with his family in mind and the security it would bring him.”
Max Verstappen confirms approval of Lambiase McLaren move
Verstappen then revealed that Lambiase wanted approval from the driver he has worked with since 2016, confirming the close relationship the two share.
“He asked me for my approval, so to speak, and I told him he absolutely had to go for it.
“He really wanted to hear that from me.”
Verstappen’s silence in the wake of Lambiase’s move threatened to speak volumes.
But in reality, the Dutchman is someone who never shies away from outing issues, and his story of hearing the news of his long-time friend’s departure echoes a driver who is thinking of the bigger picture behind his and Lambiase’s future.
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