In recent weeks, we reported that Gianpiero Lambiase, the long-time race engineer of Max Verstappen, has signed a contract with McLaren starting from 2028. He will therefore also be leaving Milton Keynes in the future, following in the footsteps of key figures like Adrian Newey, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, who have all moved on or will move on to new challenges elsewhere.
Although the Italian-British engineer is only expected to join the reigning world champions in a few years’ time, where he will take on a senior role alongside team principal Andrea Stella, former Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed that the Austrian team has already secured his replacement.
In an interview with OE24, the Austrian made it clear that his former team has already reached an agreement with a Ferrari engineer who will join Red Bull when Gianpiero Lambiase eventually departs for Woking.
“Successful people are constantly being courted. Gianpiero Lambiase became well known to the general public thanks to Max Verstappen,” said the Austrian, before hinting at the identity of his successor without providing further details: “For this reason, they have decided to take his replacement from Ferrari…”
Although there has been no official confirmation or denial regarding this claim, Helmut Marko’s comments remain the first concrete indication of who could become Red Bull’s next race engineer, tasked with supporting Max Verstappen’s ambitions from 2028 onwards, assuming the Dutchman remains at Milton Keynes.
The departure of a key figure like Lambiase therefore marks the end of one of the most iconic driver-engineer partnerships in Formula 1 history. As the team transitions toward this new chapter, the integration of a Ferrari specialist could provide the fresh technical perspective needed to keep the RB24 and its successors at the pinnacle of the grid during the next regulatory cycle.
Leave a Reply