Ex-Red Bull driver Klien surprised by Lambiase news: 'Does Max have a plan?'

On Thursday, April 9, it was announced that Lambiase, Head of Racing at Red Bull and since 2016 the race engineer of Max Verstappen, will make the move to McLaren in 2028. There, he will become Chief Racing Officer and work closely with team principal Andrea Stella. This brings an end to a very long and close collaboration with Verstappen.

The news came somewhat suddenly, although there had been rumours at the end of last year that McLaren was interested in the Brit. “I was very surprised that it came out so early and was made official by both parties,” Klien tells GPblog. “Maybe there were too many rumours going around, so they had to do something about it, just like with the Hamilton situation,” he laughs.

“But anyway, the positive thing is that they still have a year and a half to restructure. That’s fine. I also think it’s good for Max. He knows that GP will stay with him during that period, if Max continues like this,” the Austrian continues.

After the Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen openly expressed doubts about his future in Formula 1. He said he needed to think carefully over the “upcoming weeks and months.”

Is Lambiase’s departure the final straw? “It’s not common to have one race engineer throughout your entire career,” Klien points out. “So, the chapter is not completely closed just because GP is moving on.”

He also highlights the friendship between the two: “I think they are very good friends. If GP no longer wants to be a race engineer and wants a higher role, and he gets that opportunity at McLaren, then Max is the last person who would stop a friend from doing that.” Jos Verstappen has also indicated that everyone feels Lambiase deserves a new career step.

For many, the question now is: what will Verstappen do? GPblog understands that if Verstappen does want to continue in Formula 1, other options are being considered, such as Ferrari and Mercedes. However, McLaren does have a project that could also be very interesting for Verstappen: the Hypercar that will be used from 2027 in the World Endurance Championship.

“That’s also a possibility. Maybe the door to Mercedes is closed, or maybe not. I think there is always a door open somewhere for Max,” Klien responds, before laughing: “At the moment the problem is that you don’t have any races for a month, so far too many theories start circulating!”