Lambiase could join McLaren in 2027 after Red Bull deal ends
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 8, 2026
McLaren Lambiase move
McLaren says Gianpiero Lambiase will join the team after his Red Bull deal ends, and Zak Brown has opened the door to the move happening sooner than the timeline attached to his current contract. McLaren has already mapped out the job it wants him to fill. Lambiase would become chief racing officer and report to team principal Andrea Stella once he arrives. Brown said talks between the two sides have taken place in recent months, which turns the move from a distant possibility into a developing personnel story inside Formula 1.
The prospect matters because Lambiase is far from a routine hire. He has spent more than a decade as Max Verstappen’s race engineer at Red Bull, and that kind of continuity carries real weight in a sport where communication, trust and fast decisions shape weekends at the front of the grid. McLaren’s interest points to a broader plan than simply adding another senior voice. The team is looking at someone with deep race-day experience, a direct link to Verstappen and a background built inside Red Bull. Brown’s comments also show that McLaren views the move as active business, not a theoretical future addition. The team has already identified the role, the reporting line and the broad outline of the transition, even if the exact moment Lambiase can walk through the door still depends on his Red Bull obligations.
Brown timing talks
Brown’s remarks put timing at the center of the story. McLaren has made its intentions plain, and Brown said a move in the nearer term would come before the longer timeline tied to Lambiase’s current deal. That keeps the focus on when, not whether. The team’s public stance suggests confidence that the fit is there. McLaren has framed his arrival as part of its senior structure.
Brown’s acknowledgment that the two sides have spoken in recent months adds another layer. It shows that this is not a surprise move pulled from nowhere. It is a discussion that has been building behind the scenes while both teams continue their regular Formula 1 work. McLaren has moved far enough to state what Lambiase would do when he arrives. That makes the remaining issue simple, the handover itself.
Red Bull succession
Red Bull has already started preparing for Lambiase’s eventual departure, and Tom Hart has taken on practice-session duties as Verstappen’s engineer this season. That is the clearest sign that the team is planning ahead rather than waiting for the last minute. Hart is expected to succeed Lambiase, which gives Red Bull an internal path for the change and keeps Verstappen’s side of the garage from being thrown into uncertainty when the move happens. In a sport built on timing and continuity, that kind of preparation matters.
The other open question is gardening leave. The potential move has raised that issue, and it could keep Lambiase tied to Verstappen’s team for a period before he joins McLaren. That possibility matters because it shapes the real handover, not just the paperwork around it. A delayed start would give Red Bull more time to settle Hart into the role and would push McLaren’s new appointment further down the road. It also shows how carefully both teams are managing the process. The result is a transfer that already looks organized on both sides, even before the final steps are set. For McLaren, the appeal is the chance to add an experienced race operator with direct knowledge of how a team works. For Red Bull, the aim is to keep the system steady while one of its most familiar voices prepares to move on.
