Red Bull delivered warning ahead of Gianpiero Lambiase exit: 'Got to be careful'

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has stated Red Bull must be “careful” when it comes to how much information it is willing to share with Gianpiero Lambiase ahead of his exit.

The Milton Keynes-based squad announced last week that Lambiase will leave the team in 2028 before McLaren shortly declared it had poached the Briton.

Lambiase will depart his role as Max Verstappen's race engineer and join McLaren as its chief racing officer.

However, the 45-year-old will continue to carry out duties at Red Bull for the short-term future as the team looks to bounce back from a challenging start to the new season.

But as it gets closer to his exit date, Palmer asserted Red Bull must be cautious over how much it opts to include him.

“He's another person who goes to McLaren with a full knowledge of how Red Bull operates,” Palmer told the F1 Nation podcast.

“He's bringing the rivals' information in-house to McLaren - not immediately - but Red Bull have got to be careful.

But a bit like driver swaps, they don't want 'GP' to be learning all the information before the switch in 2028 either.”

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Lambiase exit another 'nail in the coffin' at Red Bull

Lambiase and Verstappen have enjoyed one of the most successful driver-engineer relationships in F1 history, with four world titles and over 70 race wins together.

However, the departure continues the mass exodus of senior figures who have exited the team in recent years.

With Max Verstappen also linked with an exit from the squad, Palmer stated Lambiase's news is another “nail in the coffin” for Red Bull.

“It's really big - one of the prominent figures that's not a racing driver,” he said.

“His relationship with Max has been so well documented. They get on so well. 

“He has now risen up the ranks of Red Bull, he's the head of their race engineering team. That's a big coup for McLaren. 

“It's another nail in the coffin at Red Bull, it feels like, to lose yet another key personnel.

“For McLaren, bringing in that wealth of experience, 'GP' is incredibly talented at what he does. 

“He's got a great understanding, not only of how to build a fast race car, but how to deal with a world champion that is pretty ruthless in terms of what he wants and his demands. ”