Van der Garde tips Verstappen to quit Red Bull before Lambiase

(GMM) Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull before key ally Gianpiero Lambiase (pictured with Verstappen) departs for McLaren, according to former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde.

Lambiase – Verstappen’s long-time race engineer – will eventually move to McLaren in a senior leadership role, with the team indicating the move will happen “no later than 2028”.

But writing in the Dutch publication Formule 1, Van der Garde thinks the timeline may be overtaken by other events.

“The million-dollar question: who will be the first to leave Red Bull, Lambiase or Verstappen? I’m putting my money on Max,” he said.

“It’s simple,” van der Garde added. “Red Bull doesn’t have things sorted out, and Max just wants to be in a car with which he can win races and titles.”

“I think Max is going to take a step forward after this season.”

Van der Garde said Lambiase’s move itself is understandable. “If you can advance to the role of team principal at a top team like McLaren, you have to seize that opportunity with both hands,” he said.

Meanwhile, another former F1 driver and official Jan Lammers believes the breakup of Red Bull’s once-dominant structure can be traced back almost exactly to the 2022 death of founder Dietrich Mateschitz.

“It seems as if Max has to turn off the light there soon,” he told Ziggo Sport.

“One after the other goes. A lot is changing there. There will be the situation at some point that Max alone can no longer solve it.”

Amid fresh speculation about Verstappen’s long-term future – including open frustration with current regulations – his manager Raymond Vermeulen insisted stability remains key for now.

“Mutual trust is crucial,” he said. “The contract with Red Bull is the leading contract – we moderate the other contracts around it.”