The Lambiase saga shows how far Formula 1 has gone overboard

A senior member of a Formula 1 team shared a telling example with GPblog. His squad is currently trying to recruit one of the top figures from another team. The big problem, however, is that this person would only be able to start working for the new employer sometime in 2028, while every F1 team would prefer to have new talent on board as soon as possible.

The question then becomes: do you wait, or do you move on to an alternative? After all, in Formula 1, having no one in a crucial role for even half a year equals standing still. In a fast-moving sport, that is fatal for any sporting ambitions.

The main culprit here is the so-called gardening leave, which requires anyone moving from one F1 team to another to sit at home for a while first. This is meant to prevent valuable knowledge from being transferred to the new team.

In the corporate world, it’s quite normal for staff to be forced to take leave if they want to switch to a competitor. After a certain number of months at home, they’re allowed to start in their new role. But in Formula 1, it can take years before someone can begin their next job.

Take Gianpiero Lambiase, still Max Verstappen’s race engineer at Red Bull Racing. The Brit with Italian roots announced in early 2026 that he would take on the role of Head of Racing at McLaren. However, Red Bull didn’t want to let him go immediately, so he has remained active for the Austrian team for the entire season. Once Lambiase departs in early 2027, he will face gardening leave, which should last at least until 2028.

It’s no secret that McLaren has been trying for some time to have Lambiase start as early as 2027, but Red Bull is standing firm for now. There are several reasons for this. First and foremost, Verstappen’s team wants to benefit from Lambiase’s knowledge and expertise for as long as possible, even if he’s leaving at some point. Moreover, they’d rather not strengthen a rival with one of their own people.

Still, the biggest fear among Formula 1 teams is that the employee in question will take company secrets with them. It’s naïve to think that this won’t happen anyway. After all, in this case McLaren is hiring Lambiase for what he can do and what he knows. The Brit’s brain won’t be reset the moment he walks out of Red Bull’s door for the last time. In any case, Lambiase won’t be leaving with a stack of printouts from Milton Keynes; all the knowledge is in his head.

Equally outdated is the notion that there is zero contact between the future employee and the new team during gardening leave. It’s completely impossible to monitor what might be exchanged through secret conversations and emails.

All in all, the question is being asked more and more openly in the F1 paddock whether the sport has gone too far in holding on to departing staff and in the length of gardening leave. Yes, is the frequent answer. But that can easily become a no if it’s your own team that’s at risk of losing a top talent.

Because in Formula 1 there is only ever one interest: self-interest.