Why Lambiase’s move to McLaren continues a trend

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Gianpiero Lambiase will move to McLaren after his current contract expires. It is a bitter loss for Red Bull, but from almost every other perspective, the move makes absolute sense – and fits into a broader trend.

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Reports about a possible departure of Lambiase from Red Bull are not new. Interest from several teams, including Aston Martin and Williams, became known as early as last year. In Abu Dhabi, several Red Bull team members made it clear that such a move was not yet up for debate, but that his exact responsibilities would be discussed in the winter – partly due to personal circumstances.

Later in the winter break, the team issued an update stating that his role for this Formula 1 season would remain fully intact. This meant that Max Verstappen could continue to rely on his “right-hand man” – as he is often called in the paddock – as race engineer and Red Bull’s “Head of Racing”.

Red Bull has always emphasized that Lambiase would not leave the team before his current contract expires at the end of 2027 – and that remains the case now that the news of the McLaren move has become known.

Why McLaren is a more logical destination than other teams

For Red Bull, Lambiase’s impending departure is a significant loss, but from the perspective of everyone else involved, it is a completely logical step. If the highly acclaimed engineer wants to take on a new challenge, McLaren appears to be a more logical destination than the previously mentioned teams.

In recent years, the Woking-based team has proven to be a more stable environment than, for example, Aston Martin. At the Silverstone-based team, Lambiase would have had the chance to become team principal, but the numerous personnel changes in recent years do not necessarily point to the required stability – something Lawrence Stroll’s team is hopefully aiming for when it eventually brings in Jonathan Wheatley.

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Williams is visibly working on this stability under the leadership of James Vowles, but compared to McLaren, this organization still needs to take further steps, not least in terms of facilities and infrastructure.

Earlier this year, when the team missed the shakedown in Barcelona, Vowles openly admitted that structural work still needed to be done, while McLaren has proven to be the benchmark in many of these areas – particularly in development during the season.

McLaren thinks ahead wisely and weakens the competition

Officially, everyone is keeping quiet about exactly what role Lambiase will fill in 2028, although there is currently a consensus that Lambiase will work alongside Andrea Stella and take over some of his duties.

The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf initially wrote that Lambiase was intended as Stella’s successor should the latter eventually move to Ferrari in the future, which was however strongly denied by sources from both teams.

However, it should be noted that a denial at this stage is the only logical or even possible reaction, if only to avoid unrest. Any other reaction is simply not possible.

In any case, the prospect of signing Lambiase is attractive for both sides. Should Stella remain in office in 2028 and beyond, Lambiase would receive an extensive package of tasks, similar to the one he gradually built up at Red Bull over time. This is a major advantage he brings with him.

Due to his background and immense experience, Lambiase is versatile, meaning McLaren gains a valuable asset on several fronts. And should the Woking-based team ever need a team principal, the man with the ideal profile would already be under contract.

The entire situation highlights two aspects that McLaren has repeatedly shown in recent years: thinking ahead wisely and simultaneously weakening the competition. The second element is likely a side effect of the first, but significant nonetheless.

The way McLaren looks ahead is part of its successful leadership strategy: not making itself too dependent on a single person and building a leadership structure capable of absorbing changes – a structure prepared for the future in various scenarios.

Secondly, McLaren has dealt several blows to the competition in recent years by doing exactly that – not least Red Bull. After technical figurehead Rob Marshall and former head of strategy Will Courtenay, Lambiase is the third high-profile new signing.

This means that Red Bull’s success structure of recent years has inevitably undergone a significant change – alongside the dismissal of Christian Horner and the departure of Helmut Marko.

The knife cuts both ways for the reigning constructors’ world champion. Their own foundations are strengthened, while a part of a rival’s foundation is removed.

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It is therefore only logical that Red Bull makes McLaren wait as long as possible for their new recruits, as was the case with Courtenay, whose gardening leave – unlike Wheatley’s – was not shortened.

What does this mean for Verstappen and Red Bull’s future?

Lambiase’s impending departure will in any case mark the end of an era – the era of the “married couple” Verstappen-Lambiase, as Helmut Marko often described them in the paddock. The Austrian chose the same words again in his reaction to the Austrian news agency APA.

“It was like an old married couple, the two of them also had their discussions and disputes. But GP, as we call him, was a very essential factor in vehicle development and setup. Who also went his own way, not always in agreement with the rest of the technical crew,” Marko said.

“That is indeed a great loss of value, but such a team is broadly positioned. One has to see that a young person can be found in time who can take on this role.”

However, that is easier said than done, especially since Lambiase is so versatile and his role as “Head of Racing” goes far beyond Verstappen’s side of the garage. Promoting a race engineer is one thing – and that already happened last year due to personal circumstances – but replacing the entire package seems far more difficult.

Lambiase’s departure is also quickly linked to Verstappen’s future, but it can better be viewed the other way around.

Since Verstappen has hinted that he has “life decisions” to make and often said that he does not plan to stay in Formula 1 until his fortieth year, Lambiase cannot build his entire future around the Dutchman – at least not at Red Bull.

It is therefore logical that he seriously considers other offers, especially if they are financially attractive.

For Verstappen, the primary question remains what he wants to do after this season, and this news fundamentally changes nothing about that. The very first – and most important – question remains whether he wants to continue in Formula 1 beyond this year, and that logically depends on the regulations.

He has already accepted that no fundamental changes can be made this season – despite ongoing discussions between the teams and the FIA – but hopes for “major changes” for 2027. To what extent this happens or not will be important for his decisions.

The question of where he would drive is, by contrast, secondary and subordinate. Nevertheless, Verstappen knows the current state of Red Bull. The departure of team members is one thing, but the sporting picture, especially on the chassis side, is another.

As Verstappen himself hinted in Japan, the new power unit seems to be reasonably competitive – perhaps even surprisingly competitive for a newcomer – but the rest is not yet where he wants it to be.

And so Red Bull, as Mekies admitted, still has a lot of work ahead of it. If the team wants to keep Verstappen, it must prove once again that it can turn a difficult situation around. Last year this was successful and Verstappen remained loyal – regardless of the clauses in his contract – but inevitably the question will be back on the table this year.

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The first question remains, however, whether Verstappen wants to stay in Formula 1, and only he can answer that. Should he stay, doors can always open for a four-time world champion at other teams, but everything beyond that is speculative and irrelevant at this