Max Verstappen informed as Red Bull confirms GianPiero Lambiase exit timeline
GianPiero Lambiase will see out his Red Bull contract, says Laurent Mekies
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has confirmed the team’s intention to retain GianPiero Lambiase “for the next two years”, ahead of his move to McLaren.
Mekies also confirmed that Max Verstappen was kept fully in the loop with talks between Red Bull and Lambiase, his long-serving race engineer, talks which Mekies said had been ongoing for an extended period. The move to McLaren as chief racing officer is a “once in a lifetime” opportunity for Lambiase, says Mekies.
Max Verstappen aware of GianPiero Lambiase Red Bull talks
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Lambiase has been a key player at Red Bull since his 2015 arrival. He has been Verstappen’s race engineer ever since his winning debut with the team at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
Lambiase has also served as Red Bull’s head of racing since 2025.
However, the 45-year-old is confirmed as moving to McLaren down the line. What had been uncertain, until now, was when that move would occur.
McLaren’s announcement of Lambiase stated his expected arrival as “no later than 2028”. Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies has now confirmed that Lambiase will see out his contract.
“We have ‘GP’ with us for the next two years,” Mekies told Sky F1.
“We don’t feel as GP has left already, because we know he has a long-term agreement with us, and we have a few more wins and battles to win together.
“He has had an extraordinary opportunity. We respect the fact that this sort of opportunity comes once in a lifetime. He has decided to take it.
“It’s something we’ve been discussing with him for a very long time, and we only wish him well in that next phase.
“When the time comes, we will make sure we turn that to an opportunity for people and for the skillset we want to have in.”
Asked to confirm that Red Bull will keep Lambiase for the almost two contracted years at Red Bull he has ahead, Mekies continued: “GP is a fantastic professional, and we know he’s going to give the absolute best.
“And of course, we are going to keep him.”
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Lambiase’s future departure was regarded by some as a further blow to Verstappen, who had been criticising the F1 2026 regulations prior to the pre-Miami tweaks, and questioning his future in the sport.
Mekies made it clear that Verstappen was in no way blindsided by the Lambiase news, and highlighted the continued commitment which Verstappen is showing to the team.
“We speak pretty much daily with Max,” said Mekies. “He was fully aware of the full extent of the discussions we were having with GP.
“A, because of his own relationship with GP, and B, because we are an open book.
“We often say Max is not outside of the project, judging the project. He’s inside with us pulling. He was here yesterday, he was here the day before, at the simulator.
“On that front, he understands extremely well that we have done a long cycle together. We have a massive reservoir of talents in the team, and we have every chance to go to an even stronger level.”
Verstappen and Red Bull will look to kick-start their season in Miami this weekend.
Verstappen’s P6 in Melbourne serves as his and Red Bull’s best result of F1 2026 so far.
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