Lambiase’s impending departure from Red Bull, even if it is the best part of two seasons away, underlines how much has changed at the former world champions in a short time.
Since the start of 2024, Red Bull have lost, for different reasons, Marshall, Newey, Wheatley, Courtenay, and of course Horner, all cornerstones of the team’s success, not just with Verstappen but with their previous four-time champion Sebastian Vettel as well.
And now Lambiase has decided to leave, too.
It is symbolic of the work that needs to be done by new team principal Laurent Mekies, which has been underlined by the team’s difficult start to the season under F1’s new rules.
Those regulations have led to Verstappen questioning his future in F1, as he made clear in his candid interview with BBC Sport after the Japanese Grand Prix.
Red Bull have found both their new chassis and first in-house engine lagging behind the best in the first three races of 2026, and Verstappen is in the unfamiliar position of ninth in the championship, with a best result of sixth place.
Verstappen and Lambiase are close, but it is Red Bull’s lack of competitiveness rather than his race engineer’s departure that will be the focus of Verstappen’s decision on his future.
Unless there is a dramatic turnaround in form from the team, Verstappen will be contractually free to leave Red Bull at the end of this season, based on performance clauses in his contract.
The question for him then will be does he want to stay and commit to helping them rebuild, move to another F1 team, or go and race elsewhere in motorsport?
Some of that answer will depend on what changes F1’s bosses make to the rules – not just in terms of tweaks for the remainder of 2026, but potentially bigger changes from 2027.
Such as, for example, potentially increasing the fuel-flow rate of the new engines so the 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power leans more towards the former, and energy management becomes less of a thing.
If Verstappen does decide to leave Red Bull, McLaren would be an attractive proposition as an alternative, even if they are committed to their current drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
And Lambiase’s move there not only reflects McLaren’s progress in recent years but also their determination not to rest on their laurels.
Stella and chief executive officer Zak Brown have led a remarkable turnaround at McLaren that made them into championship winners in a short timeframe.
But they are aware of their vulnerabilities and are working to address them.
One of those is the weight placed on Stella’s shoulders. The Italian is a remarkable leader blessed with rare emotional intelligence, but the team have been aware for some time of how much he has on his plate.
This has led to a number of changes, some of them implemented quietly behind the scenes, and others – like this one – more public.
McLaren have created an enviable team culture where openness, transparency and mutual support are valued and encouraged.
It’s partly why it’s hard to see why Stella would move back to Ferrari, even if there are constant unfounded rumours that he might for obvious reasons – he’s Italian, he spent the first part of his career there and it’s clear why Ferrari might want him back.
Indeed, senior McLaren insiders insist Stella is going nowhere and that Lambiase is being introduced to free him from aspects of race operational management to focus more on leadership, where his skills are more valuable.
It’s also why it’s easy to see how a character such as Lambiase – straightforward, dynamic, down to earth – would fit in so well at McLaren.
