Zak Brown has responded to questions over whether McLaren\u2019s signing of Gianpiero Lambiase could open up the possibility of recruiting Max Verstappen in the future, following the announcement that the Dutchman\u2019s race engineer will join the papaya squad when his Red Bull contract expires in 2028.<\/p>\n
Lambiase \u2013 known to many as GP \u2013 has acted as Verstappen<\/a>\u2019s race engineer since the four-time World Champion\u2019s promotion to Red Bull<\/a> in 2016, the pair having formed a close and successful partnership over the years since.<\/p>\n However, their time together at the Milton Keynes-based outfit will come to a close when Lambiase \u2013 who is also Head of Racing at Red Bull \u2013 departs for his new position as Chief Racing Officer at McLaren<\/a> in 2028, a move that was announced during the recent April break<\/a>.<\/p>\n Verstappen has voiced his support for Lambiase\u2019s decision<\/a>, stating that he is \u201cvery happy for him\u201d as well as praising the chemistry they shared whilst working together, something that he feels is \u201cvery rare in racing\u201d.<\/p>\n As such, during an interview with Sky Sports F1 at the Miami Grand Prix, Brown<\/a> was asked if Lambiase\u2019s impending arrival at McLaren could open the door for Verstappen to follow further down the line.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t be happier with our driver line-up,\u201d Brown responded. \u201cLando [Norris]<\/a> and Oscar [Piastri]<\/a> are not only two awesome guys, on the track, off the track, but as team mates, which is so much I think what\u2019s made McLaren successful here \u2013 [it’s] the chemistry that we have in the garage, at the factory, with our pit wall, all throughout the racing team.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t be happier with what we have, and zero intention in changing.\u201d<\/p>\n Pushed on whether Verstappen would be at the top of the list should a vacancy ever arise in the driver line-up, Brown answered: \u201cHe\u2019s an awesome racing driver, so if a gap opened up that\u2019s a different conversation, of course.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you see the talent that he has, yeah, and if you were looking for a racing driver, I think there are a lot of great racing drivers out there. Charles Leclerc<\/a>\u2019s doing an amazing job, it\u2019s great to see Lewis [Hamilton]<\/a> back on form. Kimi [Antonelli]<\/a>‘s doing a great job, George [Russell]<\/a> is a great driver, but look at what Kimi is doing here.<\/p>\n \u201cI almost kind of feel like he\u2019s the championship favourite, sitting here at the moment, but we see how quickly things swing in this sport. But yeah, I\u2019m happy with what I\u2019ve got, so I hope I\u2019m not looking for a driver.\u201d<\/p>\n