Apr.10 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko admits Red Bull is facing a “significant loss” after confirming that Max Verstappen’s long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will leave for McLaren.
“GP is a crucial factor in car development and setup, who went his own way – not always in agreement with the rest of the technical crew,” the former Red Bull advisor told motorsport-magazin.com in Vienna.
“The two were like an old married couple. They had their discussions and disputes, but this is a significant loss.”
Red Bull has now confirmed that Lambiase will depart in 2028 “when his current contract expires”.
“‘GP’ is a valued member of the team … Until his planned departure, ‘GP’ continues in his roles as Head of Racing and as Race Engineer to Max Verstappen.”
McLaren also announced the deal, confirming Lambiase will join as Chief Racing Officer “no later than 2028”.
The move is the latest in a string of high-profile defections from Red Bull to McLaren, following Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay.
Despite speculation, Auto Motor und Sport reports that Lambiase is not being lined up to replace Stella, who is also understood to not be planning a return to Ferrari to replace Frederic Vasseur.
In its statement, McLaren insisted that Stella and team boss Zak Brown are both on “long-term contracts).
Meanwhile, rumours that Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache could be sacked are believed to be wide of the mark – although concerns about the team’s internal state persist.
“The team is currently in disarray, chaos reigns everywhere, and there is no proper communication with the outside world,” Ralf Schumacher told Sky Deutschland.
“There is also no Helmut Marko who could provide any guidance, as far as I can see.”
Even Verstappen’s focus appears to be drifting, according to Marko.
“Max talks more about the Nurburgring than about Formula 1,” he said, referring to ongoing contact with the Dutchman, who is set to race again at the Nordschleife in April.
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