McLaren have confirmed Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen's race engineer at Red Bull, will join the team as chief racing officer in 2028.

Lambiase has worked with Verstappen since 2016, but will leave Red Bull when his contract expires in 2028.

McLaren also confirmed team principal Andrea Stella will continue in his role following Lambiase's arrival, which will allow the former to focus on the leadership aspects of his position.

Lambiase will become the third senior figure to join McLaren from Red Bull in recent years, with Rob Marshall joining as chief designer in 2024 before Will Courtenay became their sporting director in January.

Red Bull have also seen chief technical director Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley since the start of 2024, while former team principal Christian Horner was sacked last year.

McLaren released a statement that said: "Lambiase is the latest hire designed to strengthen and support the talent pool that exists at McLaren, while also reaffirming the team's long-term commitment to confirming its position as a championship-winning team."

McLaren Racing is pleased to announce that GianPiero Lambiase will join the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team as Chief Racing Officer, reporting into Team Principal, Andrea Stella. #McLarenF1

— McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team (@McLarenF1) April 9, 2026

"The role of the chief racing officer already exists within the team's structure with overall leadership of the race team.

"These duties are currently managed by Andrea Stella in addition to his role as team principal."

The Formula One season gets back underway on May 3 at the Miami Grand Prix after a month-long break.

Both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix were cancelled due to conflict in the Middle East.