Max Verstappen's 2026 Formula 1 season just got worse with reports his Race Engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase is leaving

GrandPrix247 reported back in December of 2025 that there was a chance that Verstappen and Lambiase would go their separate ways.

However, nothing materialized at the time, and the 2026 Formula 1 season started for the Dutchman with business as usual with Lambiase still the voice whispering to him from the pit wall.

However, the news that Lambiase may be leaving now has ramped up again, as reported in Dutch media outlets claiming the Red Bull engineer is on his way to McLaren, which have managed to win his services while fighting Williams and Aston Martin for his signature.

It appears that Lambiase has signed a hefty multi-million dollar contract to join Woking, which is expected to happen at the end of this season.

Reportedly, Lambiase, who is under contract at Red Bull Racing until 2028, will trigger a management reshuffle when he arrives at McLaren, with current Team Principal Andrea Stella tipped to rejoin Ferrari.

The time frame of Lambiase's departure is still unclear. Some reports claim he will leave at the end of this season, while others point out that he will see his contract through with Red Bull Racing.

The partnership between Verstappen and Lambiase started back in 2016 when the former was promoted to Red Bull Racing from Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls).

It was a successful collaboration, as Verstappen bagged four F1 Titles since then with 71 wins and 48 pole positions.

Verstappen's future at Red Bull has been under question for some time after missing out on a fifth F1 Title in 2025 with Lando Norris beating him. His future in the sport in general has been under more speculation after the debut of the disastrous current regulations.

Verstappen has been vocal about his dismay with the current state of racing, not ruling out a major decision about his future.