- Verstappen clarifies his future following Lambiase’s McLaren move.
- The four-time champion confirms he will stay despite his engineer’s exit.
- Verstappen prioritises team growth as he prepares for a new partnership.
Max Verstappen recently set the record straight on whether he’ll depart from Red Bull Racing, following Gianpiero Lambiase’s move to McLaren in 2028. These speculations earlier emerged, following a 2021 interview, where he claimed that if GP stops, he stops too. So, when Red Bull announced GP’s exit for 2028, fans were quick to draw conclusions that either Verstappen would retire or move to McLaren.
However, Verstappen’s stance on his previous comments appears to have changed and matured, as he remains aware that times change and that not everything is about him. He thinks that whatever step GP has taken for his own career is in his best interest, and he has no problem with it.
Verstappen on whether GP’s exit prompts his departure from Red Bull Racing
In a recent address to the media, Verstappen expressed no problems in working with other engineers following GP’s exit in 2028. He’s pretty realistic about the fact that times change and believes GP did the best by accepting the McLaren offer. ” The offer that he got, I would be an idiot to try and keep him,” he added.
“It’s not only about me all the time. It is also about his career and moving forward, so for me, it was a no-brainer to be honest, but we are looking to the future now, and working with different engineers, and I’m sure we’ll find solutions for that,” he added, referring to GP’s decision and expressing his openness to collaborate with other engineers to make things work.
The Dutchman revealed that he has a very “good and open” relationship with GP and that there are no “hard feelings” related to his departure. He wished him the best in his next endeavour. Moreover, he also looks forward as a team to continue growing and innovating.
Verstappen has already given his blessings for Lambiase’s McLaren move
In an earlier interview with Viaplay, Verstappen revealed that GP asked for his approval before accepting the McLaren offer. He said, “You’d be daft not to take it.’ We’ve already achieved everything together, and then he gets such a fantastic offer, especially with his family in mind and the security it would bring him.” He also mentioned that GP wanted to know what his thoughts were about his move from Red Bull to McLaren.
Lambiase works as the Head of Racing and Verstappen’s engineer at Red Bull Racing at present. As he moves to McLaren in 2028, he would serve as a chief racing engineer, reporting to team principal Andrea Stella.
