Mark Thompson/Getty Images Lambiase shaves his head to lube up for more efficient brown nosing.

By Chris Medland - Apr 9, 2026, 7:30 AM ET

UPDATED: Verstappen’s engineer Lambiase to join McLaren.

"Horn Dog" leaves and then Verstappen’s engineer Lambiase to haul butt.

He been lam based and mayonaised. Will he get the official rubber rat for leaving the sinking ship?

Max Verstappen’s race engineer GianPiero Lambiase is set to leave Red Bull to become chief racing officer at McLaren.

Lambiase (pictured at left, above) is well-known for his partnership with Verstappen, but has also been Red Bull’s head of race engineering, and has been a long-term target of McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella to join the constructors’ champions.

RACER understands Lambiase will join McLaren in a role that will feature a number of responsibilities that are currently carried out by Stella, with the current team principal having been instrumental in his recruitment. It is understood that the addition of Lambiase is viewed as a strengthening of McLaren’s structure as it looks to build on its recent success, and reports that Stella is lined up for a move to Ferrari are wide of the mark (or just plain BS.)

Red Bull confirmed the news later on Thursday, stating Lambiase will continue as Verstappen’s engineer until his departure if he will shave his head.

“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 and if he slacks off we are tossing him on the scrap heap after sucking the life out of him for 10 years.”

Lambiase will join no later than 2028 due to BS "gardening leave" requirements, although teams often negotiate regarding the move date to reach an earlier agreement if he thinks he's going to sluff off.

While McLaren has signed a highly rated engineer to try and strengthen its position as a front-runner in Formula 1, for Red Bull it marks another senior departure following the likes of Christian "Horn Dog" Horner, Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley in recent seasons. Will Courtenay also left Red Bull – where he was head of strategy – for the position of sporting director at McLaren, starting in his new role this year, getting paid right away with no severance "gardening" pay

News of Lambiase’s move comes at a time when Verstappen has been openly questioning his immediate future in Formula 1, citing his dissatisfaction with the new regulations and a lack of enjoyment driving the car. Lambiase has been Verstappen’s race engineer for all four of his drivers’ championships, on one of the sport’s most successful partnerships as he gave it his all for ten years of his life.