Gianpiero Lambiase officially welcomed to McLaren by Zak Brown

Gianpiero Lambiase officially welcomed to McLaren by Zak Brown

Zak Brown has welcomed the Brit to his team

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Friday 10 April 2026 18:59

Zak Brown has officially welcomed Red Bull F1 star Gianpiero Lambiase to McLaren, despite the fact that the Brit won't be joining until 2028.

Lambiase was confirmed as a McLaren signing earlier this week, and he will leave his dual position at Red Bull as head of racing and as Max Verstappen's race engineer.

Lambiase will join McLaren, with the world champions confirming that he will take up a role as chief racing officer, working alongside team principal Andrea Stella.

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Now, Brown has welcomed the current Red Bull star to McLaren, claiming that he's 'excited' for what the future may hold for McLaren.

"Happy to share that Gianpiero Lambiase will join the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team as chief racing officer, reporting into team principal Andrea Stella, when his contract ends no later than 2028," Brown said in a post on Instagram.

Is McLaren's Lambiase signing being used to tempt Verstappen?

Four-time world champion Verstappen's long-term future at Red Bull - and indeed within the sport - has been called into question recently, following the Milton Keynes-based outfit's dismal start to the season.

If Verstappen does decide to stick around in F1 beyond the end of this season, it will likely be with a different team, unless Red Bull see some drastic improvements as the year progresses.

The Dutchman will not want to be stuck battling in F1's midfield with the likes of Alpine and Haas, and will likely look at some of the other teams in the sport, such as the dominant Mercedes outfit, or reigning champions McLaren.

Brown's decision to bring in Lambiase - albeit in two years time - could be used as an extra carrot to dangle in front of Verstappen should he become available in future seasons.

McLaren already have two former Red Bull key figures in Will Courtenay and Rob Marshall in high-profile positions within their team, and are now adding Verstappen's close ally Lambiase.

F1 McLaren Zak Brown Gianpiero Lambiase