McLaren Secures Red Bull Engineer Lambiase for 2028 Role

McLaren said it has secured a future senior appointment for Gianpiero Lambiase, confirming the Red Bull engineer will join the team in 2028 once his current contract ends. Red Bull Racing also confirmed the move, while stressing that Lambiase will remain in his existing roles until his deal expires, which runs through 2028.

McLaren stated that Lambiase will take the title Chief Racing Officer when he arrives. The team said the position already exists within its structure and that Lambiase will report directly to team principal Andrea Stella . McLaren added that the appointment is intended to shift responsibilities that Stella currently handles alongside his main duties, creating a clearer split between overall leadership and day-to-day race team direction.

Red Bull said Lambiase will continue in his current dual capacity as Head of Racing and as Max Verstappen ’s race engineer until the end of his contract. The team’s statement underlined continuity through the medium term, with Lambiase staying in place during a period that includes the introduction of new Formula One regulations in 2026 .

The timing of the agreement places the transition in the post-2026 regulatory era. As described by the teams, Lambiase will spend two full seasons working under the new 2026 power unit and chassis rules at Red Bull before moving to McLaren in 2028. The source material also notes that his experience will include exposure to the Red Bull-Ford Powertrains project and the organisation’s approach to adapting to the new framework.

McLaren framed the hire as part of a long-term plan to strengthen its leadership and operational execution by recruiting senior talent from a direct rival. The announcement highlighted Lambiase’s profile as a key figure in Red Bull’s recent success, widely recognised for his partnership with Verstappen as race engineer, and positioned his future role as a way to reinforce McLaren’s race operations.

For Red Bull, the statements confirm that no immediate change is planned, but they also formalise an eventual departure of a senior operational figure. The source material describes the move as setting up a longer-term process for Red Bull to identify a successor, while McLaren prepares to integrate Lambiase into its leadership structure once the 2028 start date arrives.