Why McLaren signed the man behind Max Verstappen’s four world titles

When McLaren announced that Gianpiero Lambiase would be joining as Chief Racing Officer no later than 2028, the immediate reaction across the paddock focused on what it means for Max Verstappen.

The partnership between the four-time world champion and the man universally known as ‘GP’ is one of the most decorated driver-engineer combinations in modern Formula 1 history. Four consecutive drivers’ titles speak for themselves.

But CEO Zak Brown wants people to understand that the decision was driven by something far more specific than prestige or paddock politics.

“Andrea, in reality, kind of has three jobs,” Brown explained at a media event at the McLaren Technology Centre.

“He’s the team principal. He runs the racing team. And he also plays a big role in kind of a technical director capacity. Asking him to do three jobs is a tall order.”

The three-man technical director setup Brown refers to includes Rob Marshall in Engineering and Design, Peter Prodromou handling Aerodynamics and Mark Temple covering Performance.

Stella currently serves as the glue holding all of that together, on top of his responsibilities running the race team itself. Lambiase will step in to take over that operational racing side, freeing Stella to focus more fully on the broader leadership picture.

A pattern of poaching from Red Bull

What makes the move all the more striking is that it continues a well-established pattern. Lambiase is far from the first high-profile name to leave Milton Keynes for Woking in recent years.

Rob Marshall, who was central to Red Bull’s dominant spell earlier this decade, joined McLaren as Technical Director for Engineering and Design in 2024. Will Courtenay followed as Sporting Director at the start of 2026.

The exodus from Red Bull has been dramatic by any measure. Christian Horner was sacked as team principal last year. Adrian Newey departed for Aston Martin.

Jonathan Wheatley, long-time sporting director, left for Audi. Helmut Marko, the legendary architect of Red Bull’s driver academy, exited at the end of 2025. Now Lambiase is added to that list, though his departure is still two years away.

Brown is measured about what this means for Red Bull’s future. “I think it would be very foolish to write Red Bull off,” he said.

“I also think Audi has done a very good job. I think things are only going to consolidate over time, not widen.”

Red Bull confirmed Lambiase’s exit in a brief statement: “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.”

Despite the diplomatic tone, the practical reality is that Red Bull must now plan for a future without the man who has been the voice in Verstappen’s ear since the Dutchman’s very first race with the team.

That was the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, a race Verstappen famously won at just 18 years old to become the youngest victor in F1 history.

Lambiase had previously turned down an approach from Aston Martin to become their team principal. McLaren, with its back-to-back constructors’ championships in 2024 and 2025 and Lando Norris’ drivers’ title last year, clearly made a more compelling case.

Brown underlined that the long-term thinking behind the hire goes beyond the immediate role. “Given GP’s experience and his age, he is someone I think that can be here for a long time at McLaren and grow,” he said.

Despite speculation that Lambiase’s arrival signals preparations for Stella’s eventual departure to Ferrari, sources close to the Italian insist those links are false. Stella was reportedly part of the discussions to bring Lambiase in and holds a long-term contract with the Woking outfit.