McLaren F1 boss breaks silence on 'signing Ferrari pre-contract'

Andrea Stella, 2025, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

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McLaren F1 boss breaks silence on 'signing Ferrari pre-contract'

Andrea Stella was linked to Ferrari

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 20 April 2026 08:58

McLaren F1 team principal Andrea Stella has responded to rumours that he has signed a pre-contract with rival team Ferrari.

The Italian began his Ferrari career in 2000 before becoming a performance engineer for Michael Schumacher in 2002 and then Kimi Raikkonen in 2007. Stella was promoted to the role of Raikkonen's race engineer, switching to Fernando Alonso's side of the garage in 2010 and ultimately leaving Ferrari in 2014.

Joining McLaren in 2015, Stella eventually took over the role of team principal from the 2023 season and has since led the team to back-to-back constructors' championships, alongside the drivers' title with Lando Norris last year.

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Following the announcement that Red Bull's head of racing and Max Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero 'GP' Lambiase would be moving to McLaren, rumours that Stella was Ferrari bound and that GP had been brought in to replace him as team principal quickly followed.

De Limburger journalist Jacky Martens claimed that: "From what I understand, he’s [Stella] already committed by signing a pre-contract with Ferrari. It’s certainly a bitter pill to swallow. The Italian has a strong history with Ferrari, having worked there as a performance engineer with Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen, and he helped secure several titles."

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Stella denies Ferrari rumours

McLaren then released a statement stating that Lambiase would be joining the team to support Stella in his role of chief racing officer, clearly stating that their current team principal was not going anywhere.

Now, speaking in an interview for the McLaren team website, Stella has responded to rumours he is joining Ferrari and rubbished them.

The team principal was asked if the rumours that followed the GP announcement bothered him, to which Stella replied: "Honestly, some of the recent rumours, including those regarding astronomical salaries and mythical pre-contracts, have made me smile.

"It almost seems as though the ‘silly season’, which usually begins before summer, has arrived early! I’m quite used to this sort of thing by now and I take with a smile.

"It almost looks like that some envious pastry chef has tried to spoil the preparation of a good dessert at the McLaren patisserie. However, we do know very well how to distinguish the good ingredients from the poisoned biscuits..."

F1 Ferrari McLaren Gianpiero Lambiase Andrea Stella