Will He, or Won’t He: Will Verstappen Join Gianpiero “GP” Lambiase at McLaren for the 2028 Season?
- Anaya Punde
- Jun 30
- 6 min read
The announcement in April 2026 that Gianpiero “GP” Lambiase would be leaving Red Bull Racing to join McLaren as Chief Racing Officer started the clock ticking for one of the most successful, but not openly known, partnerships in modern Formula 1 coming to an end. GP’s departure will bring an end to his long-standing partnership with Max Verstappen, a relationship that has become one of the defining driver and race engineer pairings in Formula 1 history.
For many fans, Verstappen and GP became almost inseparable. Throughout Red Bull’s rise back to dominance, GP’s voice was constantly heard on Verstappen’s team radio. Their conversations became famous across the sport, showcasing a completely unique bond on the grid.
Sometimes they sounded tense, sometimes sarcastic, and sometimes frustrated, but underneath it all there was always a huge amount of trust between them. Their success together was built on far more than just fast cars. It thrived on an unfiltered, blunt communication style where both could voice frustrations immediately without clashing, backed by an instinctive level of trust developed during difficult years chasing rivals.
The Rise of a Strategy Mastermind
Lambiase first entered Formula 1 in 2005 as a data engineer for the Jordan team. Over time, as the team evolved into Force India, he worked his way up to becoming a race engineer. By the time he joined Red Bull in 2015, he had already built a strong reputation for being calm under pressure and extremely sharp when it came to race strategy and communication.
At first, Lambiase worked with Daniil Kvyat, but everything changed in 2016 when Red Bull promoted an 18-year-old Verstappen from Toro Rosso to the main team. It was a controversial decision at the time because Verstappen was still so young and inexperienced, but it immediately paid off. In his very first race for Red Bull at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen won the race and became the youngest winner in Formula 1 history. On the radio guiding him through that legendary race was Lambiase. Looking back now, it feels like the beginning of a completely new era for Red Bull.
A Unique Dynamic: Brutal Honesty on the Radio
The partnership quickly became one of the strongest on the grid. What made it different was the direct way they communicated with each other. Many race engineers try to calm drivers down or carefully soften criticism during races, but Lambiase spoke to Verstappen in a very direct way. He was honest, blunt, and clear—an approach that suited Verstappen perfectly.
Verstappen himself is known for being extremely demanding and emotional during races. If something were wrong with the car or strategy, Verstappen was very undiplomatic in expressing his frustrations immediately. Instead of clashing with him, Lambiase understood exactly how to handle those intense, high-pressure moments.
Over the years, they developed a level of understanding that felt almost instinctive. Was it the type of understanding that you would see between brothers? It is highly possible, since GP himself described seeing Verstappen like a younger brother.
Forged in the Chase, Proven in Dominance
During the late 2010s, Red Bull were still chasing Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. The team had moments of brilliance, but they were not yet consistently fast enough to fight for championships. Those difficult years actually helped strengthen the relationship between Verstappen and Lambiase because they spent so much time trying to maximize results even when they did not have the best car.
Everything changed in 2021. That season became one of the most dramatic title fights Formula 1 has ever seen. Verstappen and Hamilton battled throughout the entire year in an incredibly tense championship fight between Red Bull and Mercedes. Every race felt important, and every decision mattered.
Throughout that season, Lambiase played a huge role behind the scenes. He constantly fed Verstappen information about tyre management, race pace, strategy changes, and gaps to other cars while also keeping communication calm during intense moments. When Verstappen finally won his first World Championship in Abu Dhabi, it was not just a victory for a driver ; it felt like the hard-earned reward for a partnership that had been building for years.
After 2021, Red Bull entered a new period of dominance. The regulation changes introduced in 2022 helped the team produce the strongest car on the grid, and Verstappen went on to win multiple championships in a row. During this time, Lambiase became even more important inside the team. Alongside continuing as Verstappen’s race engineer, he also took on the role of Head of Racing at Red Bull. That showed just how highly respected he had become within the organization. He was no longer simply the man speaking to Verstappen during races ; he had become one of the most influential figures inside the garage.
The End of an Era and Legendary Lineages
Now, though, that era is beginning to close. For Red Bull, losing GP is a significant blow. In recent years, the team has already seen several major departures behind the scenes, and GP leaving adds another important name to that list. For Verstappen, the change could be even bigger. In Formula 1, the relationship between a driver and race engineer is incredibly important. Over time, engineers learn exactly how their drivers think, react, and communicate under pressure. That kind of understanding cannot simply be replaced overnight.
Some of the greatest eras in Formula 1 history have been built around strong partnerships like this:
Michael Schumacher and Ross Brawn at Ferrari became legendary together.
Lewis Hamilton and Peter Bonnington built a hugely successful partnership at Mercedes.
Sebastian Vettel and Guillaume Rocquelin were central to Red Bull’s success during the early 2010s.
Verstappen and GP are the latest to add to this historic list. Currently, we even see Kimi Antonelli and Peter Bonnington appearing to continue the tradition of strong driver and race engineer partnerships on the grid.
The one big difference between the Verstappen-GP partnership compared to those of the past is its visibility to Formula 1 fans. Modern Formula 1 broadcasts made team radio a huge part of race coverage, which meant millions of people regularly heard their conversations live during races. Their exchanges often became viral moments because they felt real due to being completely unfiltered. Even when they argued, there was always an underlying understanding between them.
By the time GP leaves Red Bull in 2028, he and Verstappen will have worked together for more than twelve years. In modern Formula 1, where teams change constantly with a continuous churn of drivers, engineers, and management staff, that kind of longevity is rare. Although both men remain committed to achieving more success together before the partnership officially ends, the announcement already feels symbolic. It feels like the beginning of the end of one of Formula 1’s most important partnerships of the modern era.
When people look back on Red Bull’s dominance in the 2020s, the Verstappen and GP partnership will be remembered as one of the key reasons behind it. Together, they built more than just victories and championships; they built trust, understanding, and a partnership that helped shape an entire era of Formula 1.
From the outside, we can only speculate, but only Verstappen clearly knows what importance his relationship with GP played in his rise from an 18-year-old driver joining Red Bull in 2016, winning his first race in that year, and going on to achieve 71 P1 finishes over a period of 10 years, including 4 successive Driver’s Championships.
The McLaren Masterplan: Reincarnation in 2028?
The announcement of GP’s move is yet another sign supporting suggestions that McLaren are being very aggressive in their push to build a championship-winning team structure for the future. Following McLaren's recent recruitment of Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay from Red Bull, the announcement about GP’s move appears to form a habitual pattern for McLaren to seek top talent from Red Bull. Their actions seem to indicate that McLaren believe their desire to supplant Red Bull at the top as repeat, multiple Championship winners will be best achieved by poaching that sustained winner’s mindset from within Red Bull.
Despite McLaren’s recent repeated activity of recruitment from Red Bull, most avid Formula 1 followers were surprised, even shocked, by recent rumours about Verstappen potentially moving to McLaren as early as the 2028 season. Some amongst you may put the 2028 joining date being the same for both Verstappen and GP down to pure coincidence. We at Chicane Chatter would humbly suggest that it’s more likely than not to be completely intentional.
So, until these rumours play out one way or another, we leave you with a number of questions. Is GP the bait that McLaren is using to reel in Verstappen? Or the bigger question:
“Has Formula 1 really seen the end of the Verstappen, GP partnership on the race track or whilst it may end at Red Bull, it will immediately be reincarnated at McLaren?”
Let us know where you stand on these massive paddock rumors!
Do you think Max Verstappen will reunite with GP at McLaren for the 2028 season?
🏎️ Option A: Yes! The matching 2028 timeline is completely intentional, and McLaren is successfully poaching Red Bull's winning mindset.
🛑 Option B: No way. It’s a pure coincidence, and Max will either stay loyal to Red Bull or forge an entirely different path.
⏱️ Option C: Too close to call. It depends entirely on whether McLaren can maintain their upward performance trajectory over the next two years.
Drop your votes and share your detailed theories in the comments section below
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