Laurent Mekies has once again fueled speculation about future changes at McLaren, stating again that Gianpiero Lambiase (‘GP’) is expected to take command of the British team in the future. The Red Bull Racing chief reiterated that he believes Max Verstappen’s race engineer will leave his current team with the goal of becoming McLaren’s team principal in the coming years.
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McLaren recently announced that Lambiase will join the team for the 2028 Formula 1 season. Officially, the professional will take on the role of racing director, but Mekies’ statements indicate that the plan may be even more ambitious within the British team’s structure.
During an interview given over the Miami GP weekend, the Frenchman had already suggested that Lambiase’s final destination would be the position currently held by Andrea Stella. At the time, the statement caught attention in the paddock and even prompted a humorous response from McLaren CEO Zak Brown.
Brown joked about the situation by saying that Mekies ‘knew something he himself did not know,’ dismissing at that moment the possibility raised by the Red Bull executive. Despite this, Mekies has now publicly reaffirmed that he holds exactly the same understanding about the engineer’s future.
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“Look, it is certainly my understanding that ‘GP’ is going to McLaren to become team principal. That’s what I have said before,” Mekies told the press.
In recent months, Stella has been linked to a possible move to Ferrari, although the Italian has repeatedly denied rumors involving his departure from McLaren. Even without confirming details about the future leadership structure of the British team, Mekies indicated that his opinion is based on direct conversations he had with Lambiase before the decision was made.
“We had several conversations before he made this decision. Now, don’t ask me if this will happen or when it would happen, because that’s not my business. I can only share the content of our conversations,” concluded the Red Bull Racing chief.
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