P1 with Matt and Tommy Verstappen’s race engineer is LEAVING Red Bull for McLaren… what happens next?
Apr 9, 2026
Seismic F1 staffing shifts dominate the chat as a key race engineer reportedly moves to McLaren. They explore links between leadership moves at McLaren and Ferrari and what that could trigger across the paddock. The idea of a race engineer stepping up to lead a team is debated. Contract timing, potential knock-on transfers, and implications for top drivers are all thrown into the mix.
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GP Moving To McLaren Could Be A Seismic Shift
- Giampiero Lambiase (GP) is leaving Red Bull to join McLaren in a reported multi‑million pound deal and could become McLaren team principal in 2028.
- Matt and Tom view this as a seismic personnel move that may be linked to wider dominoes, notably Andrea Stella possibly moving to Ferrari.
Engineer Team Principals Are Becoming The New Norm
- The hosts link GP's possible McLaren role to rumours Andrea Stella might be heading to Ferrari, suggesting a chain of pre-contract moves across teams.
- Tom highlights a trend toward engineers becoming team principals, changing leadership archetypes in F1.
Running A Team Is A Different Skillset Than Engineering
- Moving from race engineer for a multi‑world champion to running a whole team is a huge step up with a steep learning curve.
- Matt emphasizes that technical mastery (like Newey's) doesn't automatically translate to managing thousands of staff.