Guenther Steiner explains why McLaren’s Gianpiero Lambiase signing is a major long-term statement

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Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner believes that McLaren's signing of Max Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase proves the Woking outfit is building for the long term.

It was recently announced that Lambiase will join McLaren as chief racing officer in 2028 at the latest, reporting directly to team principal Andrea Stella. His exit comes after a successful, multi-championship-winning tenure as Verstappen's race engineer.

Speaking about the situation during an appearance on the Drive to Wynn podcast, Steiner suggested that Red Bull would likely opt to release Lambiase sooner rather than later, or place him on gardening leave.

"I think he will be out of Red Bull pretty soon, and maybe can even start earlier at McLaren but they are not keeping him around, and obviously it's a motivation factor as well," Steiner said.

"If you know you're going somewhere else, it's always difficult. Obviously, you want to do a good job, but is your heart 100%? Maybe only 99%. Sometimes that's not good enough in Formula 1, especially in the position they are now, so they will find the best way forward for them and then decide what they do with GP."

McLaren's recent signings have also included former Red Bull head of race strategy Will Courtenay as the sporting director. Steiner praised the Zak Brown-led team's approach, claiming that it is building a stable foundation.

Gianpiero Lambiase, Red Bull Racing

Gianpiero Lambiase, Red Bull Racing

"McLaren is thinking long-term and it's very smart because Will Courtenay is there from Red Bull as well, very good guy and they have got a very strong team of individuals.