McLaren hires Red Bull's Gianpiero Lambiase as chief racing officer for 2028

Red Bull Racing’s long‑time chief racing officer Gianpiero Lambiase will leave the team after the 2027 season to become McLaren’s chief racing officer starting in 2028. His departure ends a partnership that helped Red Bull secure four straight world championships with Max Verstappen.

Why it matters:

Lambiase’s move is less about poaching talent and more about relieving an over‑stretched Andrea Stella. Brown says Stella currently juggles three critical roles – team principal, race‑team operations chief, and the de‑facto technical director overseeing Rob Marshall, Peter Prodromou and Mark Temple. By handing race‑team operations to Lambiase, McLaren hopes to sharpen decision‑making, improve on‑track execution and give Stella space to focus on overall strategy and technical development.

The details:

• Red Bull tenure – Lambiase worked alongside Verstappen and the technical trio from 2024‑2027, overseeing race‑day logistics and performance analysis.
• Stella’s workload – McLaren CEO Zak Brown confirmed Stella is effectively holding three jobs, a “tall order” for any team principal.
• New role – As chief racing officer, Lambiase will run race‑team operations, coordinating pit‑stop strategy, car‑setup decisions and day‑to‑day race‑weekend execution.
• Succession planning – Brown emphasized that bringing Lambiase in is part of a long‑term stability plan; at 41, he’s seen as a figure who can grow with the team for many seasons.
• Strategic signal – The hire underscores McLaren’s intent to tighten its operational chain ahead of the 2028 regulation overhaul, ensuring the team can react swiftly to technical and strategic changes.

What's next:

McLaren will begin integrating Lambiase over the next two years, with a focus on smoother communication between the garage and the pit wall. The shift may prompt further adjustments to the senior staff structure, but the primary goal is clear: give Andrea Stella a narrower, more focused remit and position McLaren to challenge the front‑running teams in the new era of Formula 1.