Giedo van der Garde has thrown a spanner in the works with his theory about Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase.
Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde predicts that Max Verstappen will leave Red Bull before his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase moves to McLaren. Lambiase, a key figure in Verstappen’s championship success, is set to join McLaren’s senior management in 2028. Van der Garde highlights Red Bull’s organizational struggles and Verstappen’s desire for a competitive car as reasons for the potential split.
Van der Garde sees uncertainty in Red Bull’s competitiveness under team principal Laurent Mekies. Despite the impending departure of Lambiase, van der Garde advocates for maintaining their working relationship until the engineer’s final day. He acknowledges Lambiase’s loyalty to Verstappen and the Verstappen family, emphasizing the successful partnership that led to four championship titles.
Van der Garde views Lambiase’s move to McLaren as a fantastic opportunity and believes Red Bull should retain their collaboration for as long as possible. He suggests that Red Bull can benefit from keeping Lambiase’s expertise within the team, despite the engineer’s future involvement with a rival outfit.
