Formula 1 continues to react to the announcement of Gianpiero Lambiase’s departure from Red Bull Racing, and former team principal Christian Horner presented an unexpected detail about Max Verstappen’s race engineer. Following the announcement of the move to McLaren, which will only take place in 2028, the former team principal revealed a little-known talent of Lambiase on social media.
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This move by Lambiase, Verstappen’s current race engineer, was confirmed this week. The professional will leave the team by the 2028 Formula 1 season, when his current contract comes to an end and he will take on a new role at McLaren.
The departure represents another significant loss in Red Bull’s structure in recent years. Rob Marshall and Will Courteney also moved to McLaren, while Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley left the team for other destinations, in addition to Helmut Marko and Horner himself.
The former team principal, who was dismissed from his position before the 2025 Belgian GP and replaced by Laurent Mekies, drew attention by publishing a series of images on Instagram. Among them, Lambiase appeared playing drums at Silverstone, with the caption highlighting the engineer’s ‘hidden talent’.
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The post also showed other relaxed moments involving well-known Formula 1 names. In one of the images, Stefano Domenicali and 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill appear playing guitar, reinforcing the light tone of the post made by Horner.
Another moment shown by the former executive was the preparation of a group called ‘Spice Boys’, in reference to his wife Geri’s former band. Among the ‘members’ are Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley.
The post appeared shortly after the announcement of Lambiase’s move to McLaren, ending a long partnership with Verstappen. Horner’s gesture highlighted the relaxed side of important Formula 1 figures, amidst a period of significant changes within the former executive’s old team.
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