Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
Max Verstappen reacts to engineer Lambiase exit
Max Verstappen has spoken openly about Gianpiero Lambiase’s planned departure from Red Bull, revealing he encouraged his long-time race engineer to accept McLaren’s offer. In a separate interview, Jos Verstappen also struck a more accepting tone over the high-profile exit.
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Max Verstappen has broken his silence after the major news that Gianpiero Lambiase will leave Red Bull and join McLaren from the 2028 Formula 1 season.
Lambiase has been Verstappen’s race engineer since the Dutch driver arrived at Red Bull in 2016, and together they built one of the most successful partnerships of the modern era. Their relationship played a key role in Verstappen’s rise to four world titles and multiple race victories.
Despite the significance of the split, Verstappen made clear there are no hard feelings and that he fully supported Lambiase’s decision to take on a new challenge. Speaking to Viaplay, he explained that the Briton discussed the opportunity with him before making the final call.
“He told me what kind of offer he’d received. I said: ‘You’d be stupid not to take it’,” Verstappen told Viaplay.
“We’ve already achieved everything together and then he gets such a fantastic offer, especially with his family in mind and the security it would bring him. He asked me for my approval, so to speak, and I told him he absolutely had to go for it. He really wanted to hear that from me,” the Red Bull driver added.
The comments suggest the decision was handled privately and respectfully, with Verstappen recognising both the professional and personal reasons behind the move.
Earlier speculation suggested Verstappen’s own future at Red Bull could be linked to Lambiase staying at the team. However, that view now appears to be softening. In another recent interview, Jos Verstappen also spoke in a more conciliatory way about the situation, indicating he no longer sees Lambiase’s departure as something that would automatically trigger Max’s exit.
According to Jos Verstappen, his son is now expected to continue with Red Bull even after losing one of his closest allies inside the garage.
The timing comes during a difficult start to the 2026 season for Verstappen. After the opening three rounds, the reigning world champion sits ninth in the drivers’ standings as Red Bull continues to search for answers under the new regulations.
