VERSTAPPEN AND LAMBIASE: A PARTNERSHIP THAT COULD SOON COME TO AN END
Recent news suggesting that Gianpiero Lambiase could join McLaren starting in 2028 has brought attention back to the long partnership between him and Max Verstappen. If the move happens, it would mark the first time the two have worked apart since 2016, ending one of the most recognizable driver–engineer relationships in modern Formula One.
Lambiase has been Verstappen’s race engineer since the Dutch driver’s promotion to Red Bull Racing in 2016. Over the years, their communication on the radio and their close working relationship became a key part of Verstappen’s success, including his first world championship in 2021.
After winning that first title in 2021, Verstappen spoke to Ziggo Sport about the bond he shares with Lambiase. The Dutch driver made it clear how important his engineer was to him and how closely their futures seemed connected:
“If GP stops, I stop. I told him that as well. I only want to work with him. The moment he doesn’t want to do it anymore, I’ll stop as well.”
Lambiase himself had expressed similar feelings in a previous interview, highlighting how unique he considers the partnership to be:
“The day Max and I no longer work together, it will be the day I’m ready for a new challenge. I don’t think it would be fair towards another driver to replicate what I’ve done with Max since May 2016. I see it as something incredibly special, and I don’t think something like that can happen again.”
If Lambiase does move to McLaren in 2028, it would represent the end of a partnership that has lasted more than a decade and helped shape one of the most successful periods in Verstappen’s career. For many fans, it would also mark the closing of a chapter that began when the young Dutch driver first joined Red Bull in 2016 and started working with the engineer who would become known simply as “GP” on the team radio.
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