McLaren Eyes Early Move for Verstappen’s Engineer from Red Bull

McLaren is setting its sights on enticing Gianpiero Lambiase, the race engineer for Max Verstappen, away from Red Bull Racing sooner than initially planned. Lambiase, who has been instrumental in Verstappen's success, was originally expected to join McLaren for the 2028 season. However, word from the paddock suggests that McLaren wants him in their pit box for the start of 2027.

Sky Sports' Ted Kravitz shared insights on this development during his segment, Ted’s Notebook, following Verstappen's triumph in the Singapore Sprint. Kravitz mentioned that McLaren is actively negotiating with Red Bull to expedite Lambiase's transition, stating, "Zak Brown, McLaren's CEO, is working on a deal to have Lambiase in the papaya colors by next year."

The eagerness to fast-track Lambiase's move seems to stem from McLaren's desire not to let the engineer spend a year on gardening leave, as originally stipulated by his contract. Instead, they appear willing to compensate Red Bull to release him from this hiatus.

Red Bull, for its part, is preparing for Lambiase's departure and has already lined up Tom McCullough, currently Aston Martin's Performance Director, to fill the Head of Racing role. McCullough will be joining Red Bull at the start of the 2027 season, ensuring continuity in their engineering team.

This potential early transfer of Lambiase highlights McLaren's ambition to strengthen their trackside team and hints at the competitive nature of Formula 1's off-track strategies. It also underscores the high value placed on top engineering talent in the pursuit of racing success.