Red Bull Promotes Waterhouse, Adds Landi as Lambiase Set to Join McLaren in 2028

Red Bull promotes Ben Waterhouse to Chief Performance and Design Engineer and appoints Andrea Landi as Head of Performance, positioning the team for future technical leadership shifts, including Gianpiero Lambiase's confirmed move to McLaren after 2028.

Gianpiero Lambiase, known as Max Verstappen’s race engineer, will depart Red Bull for McLaren after his contract concludes at the end of the 2028 season. This move marks a significant future change within Red Bull’s operational hierarchy, following a series of high-profile departures that have reshaped the team's technical and leadership personnel in recent years. The organization is actively addressing its evolving internal structure.

Red Bull has immediately responded by promoting Ben Waterhouse to the expanded role of Chief Performance and Design Engineer. In this new capacity, Waterhouse assumes overarching responsibility for both the Design and Vehicle Performance departments, reporting to Technical Director Pierre Wache. Waterhouse joined the Red Bull family in 2014, having previously served as Deputy Technical Director at Scuderia Toro Rosso and later as Head of Performance Engineering at the main outfit since 2017. This elevation aims to foster greater integration between critical technical functions.

Further bolstering the technical leadership, Andrea Landi will join Red Bull as Head of Performance on July 1. Landi brings a track record from previous roles, including Deputy Head of Vehicle Performance at Ferrari and Deputy Technical Director at Racing Bulls, highlighting his expertise in optimizing vehicle performance. He will report directly to Ben Waterhouse, establishing a clear line of authority within the newly structured performance division.

These organizational shifts, as stated by Red Bull, are designed to strengthen the synergy between technical areas and accelerate the development of competitive solutions. The strategy reflects a commitment to both developing established internal talent, like Waterhouse, and attracting leading external expertise, exemplified by Landi’s appointment. Such proactive restructuring aims to secure the team’s long-term technical ambitions amidst a changing landscape. The impact of these refined roles and leadership appointments on Red Bull’s competitive trajectory will be a central point of observation in the upcoming seasons.