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Karun Chandhok did not need long to assess McLaren's capture of Gianpiero Lambiase. The former driver, now an analyst and presenter at Sky Sports, described it as one of the more significant personnel moves the sport has seen in some time.
"What a Coup"
Chandhok posted his reaction on X shortly after the news broke. "What a coup for McLaren. GP is not just a great engineer but also a great guy and a driven competitor. I wish him all the very best in his next step." The warmth of the assessment reflects how highly Lambiase is regarded across the paddock, beyond just his technical abilities.
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Chandhok also pointed to something that is easy to underestimate when looking at Lambiase's career from the outside: his ability to develop a driver, not just support one. "He understood how to shape Max when he was still young. He was able to get the best out of him as he matured." That is a skill set that would be enormously valuable at McLaren, which has Oscar Piastri as a young driver still in the early stages of his peak years and a team with genuine title ambitions.
What This Means for Verstappen
The Lambiase news inevitably reignites questions about Verstappen's own future. Verstappen has said in previous interviews that his relationship with Lambiase is central to his Formula 1 experience, and there have been suggestions that Lambiase leaving would accelerate his own thinking about whether to continue. His contract runs to the end of 2028, the same year Lambiase's deal begins at McLaren.
Chandhok did not address the Verstappen angle directly, but the timing of the announcement lands at a moment when Verstappen is already publicly questioning whether Formula 1 is still giving him what he needs. His passion for GT3 racing and his growing detachment from the current regulations add further uncertainty to a picture that was already complicated enough.
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