McLaren is reportedly engaged in discussions with Red Bull Racing to secure an earlier release for Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen’s long-serving race engineer. Lambiase is slated to join McLaren as chief racing officer under team principal Andrea Stella.
It was confirmed earlier this year that Lambiase would transition from Red Bull to McLaren no later than 2028. McLaren’s current efforts aim to shorten his gardening leave period, potentially allowing him to commence his new role by 2027.
Red Bull has already initiated a transition plan for Verstappen’s race engineering role. Tom Hart is being prepared as Verstappen’s new permanent race engineer and is expected to oversee three Grand Prix weekends later this season, specifically in Austin, Brazil, and Las Vegas.
Additionally, Red Bull has appointed Tom McCullough, formerly of Aston Martin, as their new head of racing. This move fills the management position vacated by Lambiase within the team’s leadership structure.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen recently committed his future to Red Bull Racing, signing a contract extension that will keep him with the team until the conclusion of the 2030 Formula 1 season. This announcement was made ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix in August.
The extended agreement reportedly includes a baseline annual salary of €92 million for Verstappen starting in 2027. With performance bonuses, this figure could escalate to €115 million per season, potentially valuing the four-year deal at €460 million.
Verstappen confirmed that he held ‘serious’ discussions with McLaren in 2026 regarding a potential move. However, he ultimately decided to remain with Red Bull, citing a strong connection to the team despite their performance challenges under the 2026 regulations.
In other developments, Lewis Hamilton addressed his qualifying performance at the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix in Madring, where he missed out on pole position. Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, qualified fourth for the inaugural race at the new circuit.
Hamilton had initially held provisional pole after his first flying lap in Q3. However, he was ultimately outpaced by Lando Norris, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Max Verstappen in the final runs.
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur indicated that a minor error in the first sector of Hamilton’s final lap contributed to him missing pole. Hamilton acknowledged that his last attempt did not fully come together.
“The session didn’t quite end with the result we wanted, it was a solid performance overall. The car felt good throughout. My first lap in Q3 was strong, but it didn’t quite come together on the final run, which cost us a few positions.”
Hamilton is currently in his first season with Ferrari, having joined the Italian squad for 2026, and his contract extends through at least the 2027 season.
