Lambiase's departure is a 'major loss' for Red Bull - Marko

      "The two were like an elderly couple in a long-standing marriage."

      Dr. Helmut Marko acknowledges that Red Bull is facing a "significant loss" after confirming that Max Verstappen’s longtime race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will be moving to McLaren. "GP is a vital component in car development and setup, who opted to forge his own path—not always in agreement with the rest of the technical team," the former Red Bull advisor told motorsport-magazin.com in Vienna. "They were akin to an old married couple. They had their discussions and disagreements, but this is a major loss."

      Red Bull has confirmed that Lambiase will leave in 2028 "when his current contract concludes." "'GP' is a valued member of the team... Until his planned departure, ’GP’ will continue in his roles as Head of Racing and as Race Engineer for Max Verstappen." McLaren announced the agreement, confirming that Lambiase will join them as Chief Racing Officer "no later than 2028." This move is part of a series of high-profile departures from Red Bull to McLaren, following Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay.

      Despite speculation, Auto Motor und Sport reports that Lambiase is not being considered as a replacement for Stella, who is also understood not to be planning a return to Ferrari to take over from Frederic Vasseur. In its statement, McLaren emphasized that both Stella and team principal Zak Brown are under "long-term contracts." Meanwhile, rumors regarding the possible dismissal of Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache are considered unfounded, although concerns about the team’s internal situation remain.

      "The team is currently in disarray, chaos is rampant, and there is no effective communication with the outside world," Ralf Schumacher remarked to Sky Deutschland. "There is also no Helmut Marko available to provide any direction, as far as I can tell." Even Verstappen’s focus seems to be shifting, according to Marko. "Max talks more about the Nurburgring than about Formula 1," he said, referencing ongoing communication with the Dutch driver, who is set to compete again at the Nordschleife in April.