McLaren does not seem to have to count on an early arrival of race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. The British engineer will move to McLaren after 2027, when his current contract with Red Bull ends, but secretly CEO Zak Brown hoped for an earlier arrival. According to team principal Laurent Mekies, Lambiase will ‘stay with us for the next two years’.
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Gianpiero Lambiase will switch from Red Bull to McLaren after 2027, where Max Verstappen’s regular race engineer will become the new Chief Racing Officer for the world champions. This marks the end of a long-standing service with Red Bull for ‘GP’, who has worked for the team since 2015, and his collaboration with Verstappen. Team principal Laurent Mekies understands why Lambiase chose McLaren.
“’GP’ has been given an extraordinary opportunity. We respect the fact that such an opportunity only comes once in your life,” the Frenchman told Sky Sports. “Although this is news for you, it is something we have been discussing with him for a very long time and we only wish him the very best in that next phase. When the time comes, we will make sure to turn this into an opportunity for our people and for the skills we want to have.”
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Verstappen himself revealed earlier that Lambiase sought his approval before accepting McLaren’s offer. “He also told me what the offer from McLaren was. I told him: ‘You’d be stupid if you didn’t do it’,” the Dutchman said candidly during An evening with Max Verstappen.
”GP’ stays with us’
Mekies then seems to suggest that McLaren should not expect Lambiase to switch before the end of his contract. “First of all, we don’t feel that GP is already gone. He will stay with us for the next two years because he has a long-term contract,” said the Frenchman. “So we still have the opportunity to achieve a few wins together. GP is a fantastic professional. We know he will continue to give his best and of course he will stay (for the next two seasons, ed.) with us.” Earlier, McLaren CEO Zak Brown told Sky Sports that there is ‘always a chance’ that Lambiase will join his team before 2028.
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