Former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner believes that GianPiero Lambiase’s blockbuster switch from Red Bull Racing to McLaren might happen a lot sooner than expected.
Lambiase, best known as the calm – and sometimes fiery – voice in Max Verstappen’s ear, has already been confirmed as McLaren’s future Chief Racing Officer, with an official arrival slated for “no later” than 2028.
But Steiner is predicting that the long-term power move could turn into a rapid-fire shake up.
Speaking with his trademark bluntness, Steiner addressed what typically happens when a high-profile figure has one foot out the door.
“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,” he said, speaking on the Drive to Wynn podcast,
It’s a classic F1 dilemma: once a departure is public, loyalties blur and focus shifts. And in a sport where milliseconds define success, even the slightest dip in edge can be costly.
“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%,” Steiner added.
“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.”
So Red Bull may not wait around – and McLaren certainly won’t complain if the door opens early.
Behind the scenes, this isn’t just a signing – it’s part of a bigger, calculated build. Under CEO Zak Brown, McLaren has been quietly assembling a powerhouse roster, plucking top-tier talent from Red Bull’s once-dominant ranks.
Steiner sees the strategy as both obvious and ruthless.
“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,” the ex-Haas boss explained.
“They are experienced people they are getting, but they are still young enough to have the drive to do it. These are not people which look for retirement, no they still want to go racing and win so very, very smart.
“But again, what I said before, McLaren was winning the last two years and where you want to work if you’re successful is the winning team, and that is how you attract this big talent. That is where they want to be in the future.
“You see your own team is not the dominating team anymore, where do I want to go? To the best team given the opportunity. They didn’t go to a small team, they went to the team that was best the last two years.”
The subtext is impossible to ignore: the gravitational pull in Formula 1 may be shifting. With McLaren riding a wave of success – including back-to-back Constructors’ titles and a Drivers’ crown for Lando Norris – the Woking squad has become the place to be.
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Meanwhile, Red Bull’s aura of invincibility is showing cracks. And when key figures like Lambiase start looking elsewhere, it’s rarely just a one-off.
If Steiner’s prediction hits the mark, this won’t just be a personnel change – it could be another decisive swing in F1’s ever-evolving power struggle.
One thing is clear: the clock on Lambiase’s Red Bull tenure might be ticking faster than anyone expected.
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