McLaren chief executive Zak Brown remains optimistic that the team will secure Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen's long-time race engineer, earlier than the originally announced start date. Lambiase, who has worked alongside the Dutchman for over a decade, is set to join McLaren in a leadership role as chief racing officer. When the move was announced, McLaren said he would start "no later than 2028," leaving room for negotiation with Red Bull over an earlier release.
McLaren hopeful on early arrival
Speaking to Sky Sports, Brown said he is "optimistic we'll see him in Papaya at some point next year." No resolution has yet been reached regarding Lambiase's release, but McLaren continue to believe they can persuade Red Bull to shorten his gardening leave.
Red Bull has already finalised its succession plan. Tom McCullough, who previously held various engineering roles at Aston Martin, has been brought in as head of racing. Meanwhile, Tom Hart, who has worked as a performance engineer and is familiar with Verstappen's methods, will become the new race engineer. Hart had been due to move to Williams but withdrew from that switch after Red Bull offered him the promotion.
Verstappen's contract and future
Verstappen has chosen to stay with Red Bull, signing a contract extension until 2030. However, the four-time world champion is understood to have retained performance clauses that would allow him to leave earlier if targets are not met, leaving the door open for a potential switch to another team in the coming years.
Brown recently admitted he could imagine Verstappen joining McLaren "in 2028 or 2029" if circumstances align. He said: "The door is still wide open for Max, for 2028, 2029, or any year, for that matter." Brown also described being "charmed" by Verstappen after making a deliberate effort to spend time with him. He added: "I enjoyed getting to know him better and would love to work with him someday."
Singapore unfinished business
A more immediate concern for Verstappen is his "unfinished business" at the Singapore Grand Prix, a race he has never won. Speaking ahead of the event at Marina Bay, he said: "In the last few years, we've always been bad in low speed and just kerb riding, taking the bumps. This year's car is probably more competitive in low-speed corners, but we still struggle on bumps and kerbs. We know that."
He added: "So, of course, I have unfinished business here when you have not won the race yet. Actually every year I come back and I'm trying to win it, but we also need to be realistic. But I hope that we can be, let's say, a little bit more competitive this year, compared to the last few years."
