Max Verstappen shares what he told Gianpiero Lambiase after accepting McLaren offer

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Max Verstappen has spoken about Gianpiero Lambiase’s decision to leave Red Bull for McLaren in 2028.

Just last week, Formula 1 fans were caught off guard by the news that Lambiase would be joining McLaren in 2028.

The 45-year-old will step into the role of Chief Racing Officer, reporting directly to team principal Andrea Stella.

Lambiase’s switch has only added to the uncertainty surrounding Verstappen’s own future with Red Bull.

Speaking at an event in Amsterdam on Thursday, Verstappen was asked about Lambiase’s decision to join McLaren. He said:

Verstappen reflects on Lambiase’s decision to join McLaren

According to Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Verstappen explained how the move came about and what was discussed.

The 26-year-old shared that Lambiase had told him about the offer and wanted his backing before making a final decision. Verstappen responded that it was an opportunity too good to pass up, especially given what they’d already achieved together.

The Dutchman said: “He told me what kind of offer he got. I said you’d be stupid not to do that. We have already achieved everything together.

“And then he gets such a great offer, also with an eye to his family and the security he gets from it.

“He asked me for some kind of permission, and I told him to be 100% sure. He wanted to hear that from my mouth.”

Lambiase’s departure also includes a period of gardening leave, meaning he won’t take up his new role until January 2028. In the meantime, Verstappen will have a new race engineer in Tom Hart, who steps up after several years within Red Bull’s technical setup.

Red Bull urged to part ways with Gianpiero Lambiase before 2028

Lambiase is due to join McLaren in 2028, but some believe Red Bull should move on sooner rather than later.

Speaking on the RacingNews365 Podcast, Dutch driver Tom Coronel suggested that Red Bull might want to act quickly and replace Lambiase to avoid him taking valuable information to their rivals.

“My gut feeling tells me the sooner you do these kinds of things, the better it is for the whole situation,” he said. “Because then, you will part ways sooner, you are going to speed up the process. So this could go faster than you think.

“As a team, you don’t want him to have all the information because you are going to find out so many new things. I mean, why would you make someone better if he is going to a competitor?”