F1 Rumor: Ferrari Attempted To Poach Key Red Bull Figure Ahead Of Lewis Hamilton's Arrival

Ferrari reportedly attempted to poach Red Bull's key race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, as part of their preparations to welcome Lewis Hamilton.

Jun 8, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc (MCO) races during FP3 practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Rumors have surfaced that Ferrari made a bid to lure Max Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase away from Red Bull Racing. This move was reportedly part of Ferrari's strategy to fortify their team as they prepare to welcome seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton will be making a huge move from Mercedes to the Maranello-based squad from 2025 to drive alongside Charles Leclerc.

Key preparations for Hamilton's arrival began as early as February, driven by Ferrari's team principal Fred Vasseur. One hiring already completed is that of Loïc Serra from Mercedes, who joins as Technical Director Chassis. However, the potential acquisition of Lambiase, as reported by Racing News 365 aimed to further strengthen their team.

Despite these efforts, Lambiase decisively rebuffed Ferrari’s offer, opting to stay with Red Bull. His firm commitment to the Austrian team is reinforced by a newly extended contract with improved terms.

Lambiase’s decision to remain with Red Bull holds considerable significance for the team, particularly for Verstappen, who has expressed his preference to continue working with Lambiase.

This comes after questions were raised that Lambiase could move to a different role within Red Bull following the exit of sporting director Jonathan Wheatley. Sky Sports F1 pundit Ted Kravitz recently explained:

“Who are they going to get to replace him [Jonathan Wheatley] is the question.

“Because being such a valuable guy in terms of the rules and keeping a razor-sharp race team, how are they going to divide up?

“I can think of quite a few guys within Red Bull who were mechanics and have risen through to be that sort of senior level mechanic role, which Wheatley, of course, used to be a chief mechanic at Benetton and Renault, that’s how he got into his position.

“I can imagine those guys moving up, and they know the rules as well.

“Some people have speculated that Gianpiero Lambiase might go into that sporting director role. I don’t think he wants to leave the cut and thrust and the fun of race engineering…”

Kravitz continued:

“But it’s fun winning races and winning championships. So I’m not sure whether GP [Gianpiero Lambiase] would want to leave that.

“Red Bull are going to promote from within, and there’s probably going to be this thing where they actually get two people.

“They’ll probably be one of the chief mechanics, who will run the race team, pit stops and all of that. And they’ll find somebody who knows the rules very well, who they’ll put into the sporting manager or sporting director role.”