McLaren has revealed new details about Gianpiero Lambiase’s arrival, scheduled for the 2028 Formula 1 season, and highlighted the strategic importance of the current Red Bull Racing member’s arrival. The British team considers the reinforcement an essential step to sustain its growth and the evolution of its technical structure.
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The announcement was made in early April, confirming that Lambiase will assume the role of chief racing officer when he leaves Red Bull. He currently serves as the team’s head of race engineering and Max Verstappen’s race engineer, a role considered crucial to the team’s recent success.
Andrea Stella, McLaren’s team principal, described the hiring as a strategic reinforcement: “Gianpiero’s arrival is the classic ‘cherry on top’ of a cake that already has all the right ingredients,” he stated. According to him, the new position was created to redistribute responsibilities and avoid overloading the current structure.
Stella explained that he currently holds the dual role of team principal, with the responsibility that will be assumed by Lambiase: “For me, he will be important support, filling the role of chief racing officer, a position I currently hold alongside the team principal role,” he said. The executive added that the planning aims to ensure continuity in the team’s leadership and experience.
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The Italian also highlighted that the expansion of the Formula 1 calendar has directly impacted the teams’ routines. According to him, the increase in the number of races has brought significant consequences for personal commitment and the quality of life of professionals, especially in roles directly linked to race operations.
Stella also stated that current Formula 1 is very different from when he started his career more than twenty years ago: “The size of a top team has more than doubled. Just consider that our workforce has grown by more than 20% in the last three years,” he explained. He emphasized that McLaren has reached a dimension compatible with the budget cap and performance objectives.
The executive also commented on the growing complexity of the team principal role, citing the joint work with Zak Brown, McLaren CEO, to create a more horizontal structure: “With this approach, the dual role I currently perform could not be sustainable in the long term,” Stella concluded, reinforcing that Lambiase’s arrival will be fundamental for the future of the British team.
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