Long-time Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will leave the team at the end of 2027 to take a new role at McLaren. The 45-year-old, who began his F1 career with Jordan in 2005, has been with Red Bull since 2015. He was first Daniil Kvyat’s race engineer, maintaining the position when he was replaced by Max Verstappen. In 2022, he took on additional responsibilities to become the team’s Head of racing following the departure of Jonathan Wheatley in 2024. He will become McLaren’s chief racing officer “no later than 2028,” according to a statement from the British team. Lambiase’s Red Bull contract runs until the end of 2027, but he could join McLaren earlier if both teams agree. Lambiase is just the latest high-profile departure from Red Bull in the past 12 months, heavily fueling rumours about Verstappen’s future on the team beyond his current contract, which expires in 2028.
Experts from the teams and power unit manufacturers met with the FIA to discuss potential tweaks to the 2026 regulations. The new regulations have drawn some criticism, primarily around the emphasis on energy management, especially in qualifying, and safety concerns about high closing speeds. The FIA described the meeting as a “constructive dialogue,” where there was “commitment” to tweaking the rules regarding energy management. Although no decisions were made in this meeting, there will be further meetings on April 15, 16, and 20.
Williams has signed Dan Milner to its senior leadership team. Milner, who previously worked at Mercedes for 14 years, will become Williams’ chief engineer of vehicle technology. In his new role, he will help oversee the car development. Milner has been on gardening leave at Mercedes since January.
Helmut Marko has taken a new role as ambassador for the Red Bull Ring. The 82-year-old left his role at Red Bull as advisor and leader of the junior team last year. This is a role he held since 2001, having gotten into motorsport management following an injury during his own F1 career, which left him blind in one eye. The Red Bull Ring has hosted the Austrian Grand Prix under various names since 1970, with breaks in the ’90s and 2000s.
Pirelli conducted another wet tyre test with Ferrari at the private Fiorano Circuit. Lewis Hamilton was behind the wheel of the sole car for both days, covering a total of 297 laps. The test focused on the full wet and intermediate compounds, with extra focus on assessing the crossover period. This was made possible by the circuit’s irrigation system, which allowed Pirelli to artificially water the circuit to the desired wetness. Pirelli will be back in action next week at the Nurburgring with Mercedes and McLaren to test the slick compounds.
Lance Stroll made his GT racing debut in France, although it was not smooth running for the Canadian. Taking advantage of the F1 gap, Stroll made a surprise debut at the GT World Challenge Europe at Paul Ricard, racing an Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO. The six-hour race was held in dark and light conditions, although Stroll’s stint was done in the dark. He was partnered with Mari Boya and Roberto Merhi. The team was on the back foot in the first stint after Boya earned the team stop-and-go penalty for spinning the Ferrari driven by Sean Gelael. Merhi also picked up additional penalties during his stint, contributing to the team finishing in P48, some 13 laps behind the winning Aston Martin.
Aston Martin has expanded its Driver Academy, including two new karting recruits. Australian-born Ava Lawrence has had an impressive karting career at just 11 years of age. She was recently chosen to represent F1 Academy Discover Your Drive at this year’s British Champions of the Future Academy (COTFA) Programme. She will join Hungarian Roland Nagy. The 13-year-old has become a regular competitor in the FIA Karting European Championship. Both young drivers join F2 driver Mari Boya and F1 Academy driver Mathilda Paatz in the Driver Academy, which is designed to help foster racing talent.
McLaren gave its reserve driver, Leonardo Fornaroli, another private F1 test at Silverstone. Fornaroli, who won the 2025 Formula 2 championship, completed 68 laps of testing at Silverstone using the team’s 2023 MCL60. He previously tested the same car in Barcelona during a two-day test, completing 112 laps. The team has confirmed he will be given other outings “at a variety of different circuits.”
It can be challenging for even the most avid fans to keep up with the fast-paced world of Formula One. The Weekly F1 Recap is a series published each Monday that breaks down the action, both on and off the circuit, into bit-sized pieces. It's perfect for casual and experienced fans alike.
