The Formula One circus is once again reunited in Miami after an enforced five-week break following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix. With so much happening since the Japanese Grand Prix, the paddock folk were catching up on events such as Max Verstappen’s engineer announcing he was leaving Red Bull for McLaren.
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies was predictably questioned over the announcement that yet another senior Milton Keynes figure is jumping ship. “We don’t want to be defensive about it. We have lost quite a few key people in the last four, five years; it is very true,” admitted Mekies live on Sky F1. “We take it very seriously and everything we do is to try to make sure that we have the best environment to attract, to develop, and to retain our people. I’m confident it’s an area we will succeed in.”
Mekies claims Lambiase will be McLaren F1 team boss
Yet it was the Frenchman’s next comment which set the cat amongst the pigeons as he sought to justify the reason Lambiase is leaving. “Is it going to be a linear way to it with nobody leaving anymore? No. GP (Lambiase) had an extraordinary opportunity. You know, he is going to be a team principal there. It’s not something that I can do anything else than wish him well.”
McLaren’s CEO, Zak Brown, was unimpressed when told of Mekies’ assertion by TV broadcaster Simon Lazenby. “He knows something I don’t, apparently,” the McLaren Racing CEO shot back when Mekies’ comments were put to him. “I’ve got a great one; I’ve got the best one in the pit lane: Andrea Stella. So I couldn’t be happier with Andrea.”
When Red Bull and McLaren jointly announced Lambiase’s future move, reports emerged in the Italian media that, in fact, GP would be taking over from Andrea Stella as Team Principal. The Italian was believed to have signed a pre-contract with Ferrari to replace Fred Vasseur as principal in 2027 or 2028.
Ferrari remarkably organised over succession
The first thing TJ13 editorial staff observed was the fact that this would be remarkably long-sighted of the Scuderia. Most of their appointments as team boss over the last decade have been made in crisis, rather than from any long-term plan of succession.
At the time the news broke, Andrea Stella refuted the claims he would be leaving McLaren, dismissing the rumours of “astronomical salaries” and “mythical pre-contracts,” joking that it looks like an “envious pastry chef” is trying to spoil the dessert at the McLaren bakery. He referred to these rumours as “poisoned biscuits”—a term McLaren has used before to describe rival teams (specifically pointing toward Red Bull) trying to destabilize their harmony.
Whilst Fred Vasseur has survived sustained attacks from the Italian media over the lack of success during his tenure as the head of the Ferrari F1 team, the Scuderia’s results under his leadership have hardly been stellar. The team failed to win a Grand Prix in 2025 but, to some extent, hid behind the explanation that they were spending all their time and resources on their 2026 challenger.
Stella steeped in Ferrari’s most recent dominant history
In the opening three races of this year, Ferrari were clearly second-best to Mercedes but some way ahead of the rest of the field. However, come Miami, the “completely new” McLaren MCL40 has taken them by surprise, with Leclerc qualifying just fourth for the Sprint and Hamilton down in P7.
The Stella-to-Ferrari tales are rooted in the history of the Italian engineer, who joined the Scuderia as Michael Schumacher was becoming the dominant force in F1. He was a performance engineer for the seven-time champion before becoming Kimi Raikkonen’s race engineer in 2009.
Probably his toughest role in Maranello was as the performance engineer for Fernando Alonso, who was runner-up twice before the pair left for McLaren in 2015. Since then, Stella has worked his way up through the pecking order in the papaya race team, taking over from Andreas Seidl as Team Principal ahead of the 2023 season.
Since then, McLaren have won two Constructors’ titles and the World Drivers’ Championship with Lando Norris in 2025—exactly the kind of pedigree Ferrari are looking for in their next team boss. Certain Italian journalists have suggested Stella’s F1 rise is the “golden blueprint” they wish to replicate, and talk of him returning to Ferrari is potent given he is a direct link to the last time the Scuderia were dominant in the sport.
Red Bull confirm Mekies belief GP will be McLaren boss
Contracts of F1 team bosses are less public than those of the drivers, although Stella did sign a long-term deal with McLaren back in 2024. The Dutch media outlet which broke the story—De Limburger—claimed Andrea Stella’s current McLaren deal expires in time for a 2028 start in Maranello.
Of course, given statements made by Max Verstappen about the relationship he has with his engineer, the rumour mill next jumped to the conclusion that Verstappen would be leaving for McLaren with Lambiase as well. After dropping his future McLaren ‘Team Principal’ bombshell, Mekies was quickly on the defensive when asked whether the future of his racing star was linked with his race engineer. “Absolutely not,” objected Mekies. “That’s my direct answer to you,” he said, almost protesting too much. ‘Honest guv!’
Zak Brown attempted to suggest that maybe Mekies’ comments had somehow been lost in translation from his ‘pidgin French,’ but Sky reports they questioned the team over this and the response was clear: Mekies does indeed believe Lambiase will become the next McLaren team boss.
Red Bull, along with Ferrari and McLaren, have brought significant upgrades to their cars for this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. In Sprint qualifying, Max Verstappen was just two-tenths behind the lead Ferrari of Charles Leclerc—evidence of an improvement in the RB22. Yet there’s still work to do for the Milton Keynes F1 squad, as the gap from Max to Lando on pole remained at 0.6 seconds.
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
