Max Verstappen’s future in focus after Gianpiero Lambiase exit news

Max Verstappen could be facing a major turning point in his Formula 1 career after Red Bull confirmed long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will leave the team in 2028 to join McLaren.

Lambiase, widely known in the paddock as “GP”, has been at Verstappen’s side since the Dutch driver’s promotion to Red Bull in 2016. Over the past decade, the pair have formed one of the most successful and recognisable partnerships in modern F1, helping deliver multiple world championships and countless race wins.

Now, that partnership has an expiry date.

Red Bull has announced Lambiase will remain with the Milton Keynes outfit until the end of his current contract in 2028, continuing in his roles as Head of Racing and Verstappen’s race engineer. Once that deal ends, he will move to McLaren, where he is set to take up the position of Chief Racing Officer.

The switch is a major coup for McLaren, which continues to strengthen its leadership group as it pushes to remain at the front of the grid. Lambiase’s arrival will hand the Woking-based team another proven senior figure with championship-winning experience, while also taking on some of the responsibilities currently handled by team boss Andrea Stella.

But while the move is a significant one for both teams, it is Verstappen’s reaction — and what it could mean for his own future — that will generate the most attention.

The bond between Verstappen and Lambiase has long been viewed as one of the strongest driver-engineer relationships in Formula 1. Their radio exchanges have often been tense, sharp and brutally honest, but that direct communication has also been a major part of Red Bull’s success. Lambiase has been the calm voice guiding Verstappen through pressure moments, title fights and race-day chaos, while also becoming one of the few people inside the team the four-time world champion clearly trusts without hesitation.

That is why comments Verstappen made back in 2021 have now resurfaced in a big way.

After securing his first world title, Verstappen made it clear just how closely he linked his own future to Lambiase’s. He said at the time that when his partnership with GP comes to an end, his own Formula 1 career could end with it. It was a striking admission, and one that sounded more like an emotional reflection in the heat of a title-winning season than a firm career roadmap.

Five years later, though, those words suddenly carry much more weight.

With Lambiase now officially set to depart in 2028, questions will inevitably grow around whether Verstappen also sees that year as a natural end point. Even if retirement is not a certainty, the timing of the move will only fuel speculation that Red Bull may eventually lose more than just one of its key leaders.

Lambiase’s journey to this point has been built over more than two decades in the sport. He started in Formula 1 as a data engineer with Jordan in 2005 before moving into a race engineer role during the Force India years. He joined Red Bull in 2015, initially working with Daniil Kvyat, before being paired with Verstappen the following season when the Dutchman was promoted from Toro Rosso.

From there, the relationship became one of the defining partnerships of the current era.

Together, Verstappen and Lambiase have celebrated championship triumphs, battled through internal team pressure, and handled some of the most dramatic moments the sport has seen in recent years. Their success has gone far beyond fast cars and clever strategy. It has been built on trust, honesty and a working relationship that has stood up under intense scrutiny.

Red Bull, in confirming the news, praised Lambiase’s contribution and stressed that both sides remain fully committed to chasing more success before he leaves. McLaren also made clear that his appointment is part of a bigger long-term vision, with the team continuing to invest heavily in top-level personnel as it looks to strengthen its position among Formula 1’s elite.

For Verstappen, though, the announcement may prove to be about more than just a staffing change.

For years, GP has been one of the constants in his Formula 1 life. Knowing that partnership now has a fixed end date changes the conversation around what comes next. Verstappen has often spoken openly about not wanting to race in Formula 1 forever, and Lambiase’s scheduled exit gives the paddock a clear milestone to watch.

Right now, there is still time for the pair to add more wins and possibly more titles before going their separate ways. But with 2028 now circled as the year Lambiase walks away from Red Bull, the spotlight will only intensify on whether Verstappen plans to do the same.

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