F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Verstappen reflects on Lambiase’s reported move to McLaren

Max Verstappen has spoken about his bond with Gianpiero Lambiase as RacingNews365 Nederland reports that his race engineer will join McLaren by 2028.

GPBeat · Newsroom05 Oct 2026, 23:33 · 1 min

RacingNews365 Nederland reports that Lambiase is set to become chief racing officer at McLaren under team principal Andrea Stella. It says he will remain Verstappen’s race engineer at Red Bull until he leaves, but gives no exact departure date.

In comments on the P1 with Matt & Tommy podcast relayed by RacingNews365 Nederland, Verstappen said their shared personal and sporting experiences had made the relationship a friendship, not just a working partnership. He said they still care about each other and want the best possible results for as long as they work together.

RacingNews365 Nederland also reports that Tom Hart has been chosen to succeed Lambiase on Verstappen’s pit wall, while Tom McCullough will take over Lambiase’s separate Head of Racing role in 2027.

Sources 01

SOURCEVerstappen openhartig over naderend afscheid van LambiaseRacingNews365 Nederland · Source date as found: 2026-09-30

Source context

Verstappen’s podcast comments are relayed in RacingNews365 Nederland’s report of 30 September 2026.

Claims and supporting evidence 4

RacingNews365 reports that Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will leave Red Bull for McLaren no later than 2028 to become Chief Racing Officer under Andrea Stella. The article says he remains Verstappen’s race engineer until his departure; it does not give an exact departure date.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Reported team change Reported on 30 September 2026; departure no later than 2028 The personnel change is reported by the sole supplied outlet; no team announcement was supplied.

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In remarks attributed to him by RacingNews365, which cites the P1 with Matt & Tommy podcast, Verstappen says that shared personal and sporting experiences have made his relationship with Lambiase a friendship rather than merely a working relationship.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Verstappen’s account of the relationship Remarks reported on 30 September 2026; podcast recording date not established The supplied article presents Dutch quotations from a podcast that was not supplied. These are Verstappen’s attributed views, not an independently measured assessment of their relationship.

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According to RacingNews365, Verstappen says that he and Lambiase still care about each other and want the best possible results until their collaboration ends. This is a stated intention, not a result or prediction established as fact.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Verstappen’s stated intentions before the departure Remarks reported on 30 September 2026; concerning the period until Lambiase’s departure The account comes through RacingNews365’s report of the podcast; the original recording was not supplied.

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RacingNews365 identifies Tom Hart as Verstappen’s future pit-wall successor to Lambiase and says Tom McCullough will take over Lambiase’s Head of Racing role from 2027. These are two distinct roles.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Reported succession arrangements Reported on 30 September 2026; Head of Racing change stated for 2027 No separate announcement or independent account of these appointments was supplied.

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Corrections and updates to this story

05 Oct 2026, 23:33

Nederlandse formulering en schrijfwijze gecorrigeerd; de oorspronkelijke bronnen en feiten zijn behouden.

This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.