Max Verstappen’s long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will leave Red Bull when his current contract expires in 2028, with the Briton joining McLaren as Chief Racing Officer.

Lambiase – known to many as GP – has worked alongside Verstappen since the Dutchman was promoted to the team from the then-named Toro Rosso outfit in 2016, the pair going on to experience many highs and lows together in the years since.

Starting his F1 career as a data engineer for the Jordan team in 2005, Lambiase went on to become a race engineer during the squad’s guise as Force India before later moving to Red Bull in 2015.

Initially acting in the same role for Daniil Kvyat, it was in 2016 when Verstappen joined that Lambiase’s partnership with the four-time World Champion began. More recently he also took on the role of Head of Racing at Red Bull while continuing to race engineer Verstappen.

However, his time at the team will soon be coming to a close with Red Bull first confirming he would be departing in 2028 before McLaren also confirmed he would be joining the Woking-based squad.

A Red Bull statement read: “Oracle Red Bull Racing confirms that Gianpiero Lambiase will leave the team in 2028, when his current contract expires. ‘GP’ is a valued member of the team, which he joined in 2015.

“Until his planned departure, ‘GP’ continues in his roles as Head of Racing and as Race Engineer to Max Verstappen. The team and he are fully committed to add more success to our strong track record together.”

Lambiase is not the only figure from Red Bull to join McLaren in recent times, with Rob Marshall becoming Technical Director, Engineering & Design, in 2024 while Will Courtenay started in the role of Sporting Director at the beginning of 2026.

When Lambiase joins McLaren he will take on the role of Chief Racing Officer with a view to freeing up some of the duties managed by Team Principal Andrea Stella.

A McLaren statement read: “McLaren Racing is pleased to announce that Gianpiero Lambiase will join the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team as Chief Racing Officer, reporting into Team Principal, Andrea Stella.

“The role of the Chief Racing Officer already exists within the team’s structure with overall leadership of the race team. These duties are currently managed by Andrea Stella in addition to his role as Team Principal.

“Lambiase is the latest hire designed to strengthen and support the talent pool that exists at McLaren Mastercard, while also reaffirming the team’s long-term commitment to confirming its position as a Championship-winning team.

“The team’s ability to attract and secure top talent, like Lambiase, and previously Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay, alongside the retention and promotion of highly-talented people already within the team, is a testament to the strategic vision and culture that are integrally embodied in the McLaren Mastercard F1 Team under the leadership of Zak Brown and Andrea Stella, who are also both on long-term contracts.

“The team look forward to welcoming Gianpiero Lambiase when his existing contract ends, no later than 2028.”