McLaren stuns the paddock: Lambaise poached as new Chief Racing Officer in 2026 power grab
Gianpiero Lambaise is leaving Red Bull to join McLaren Mastercard Formula One (F1) Team as their new Chief Racing Officer. By taking over track side leadership, Lambaise allows Andrea Stella to focus on broader strategic and technical direction. This hire is designed to ensure McLaren remains a “championship winning force” by providing them with the paddock’s most respected operational mind during the critical 2026/2027 regulation cycles.
McLaren’s recruitment of Lambaise is the final piece of a three year plan by CEO Zak Brown and Team Principal Stella to “rebuild Red Bull inside McLaren.” By 2028, McLaren’s senior leadership will consist almost entirely of former Red Bull championship architects. McLaren is currently the only team on the grid with a “flat” but highly specialised leadership structure and they have the financial backing to offer the salaries required to poach these “untouchable” veterans.
Stella highlights why this specific hire is a “gear shift” for McLaren’s leadership structure.
“Gianpiero’s arrival will allow for a clearer division of leadership at a time when the team is striving to reach the front of the grid … this is a significant position, overseeing the overall management of the racing team.”
Stella’s focus on “division of leadership” suggests that McLaren is purposefully building a structure where specialised experts handle their specific domains leaving Stella to lead the organisation as a whole.
McLaren is currently the only team on the grid successfully building a “flat” but highly specialised leadership structure. Lambaise will be Chief Racing Officer, a role previously juggled by Stella. By hiving off track side operations to Lambaise, Stella is freed to focus on “CEO level” technical and political strategy. By 2028, their senior staff will consist of the exact people who enabled Max Verstappen’s dominance.
At Red Bull, despite his “Head of Racing” title, Lambaise’s primary focus remained the high stress, 24 race “radio grind” with Verstappen. As Chief Racing Officer, he will oversee the entire track side team and race team operations, reporting directly to Stella. This move provides him with the “senior management” challenge he has reportedly been seeking for years. If Lambaise helps McLaren maintain or extend their current dominance, he solidifies his legacy not just as a great engineer but as a top tier sporting executive.
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