McLaren F1 boss hits back at bombshell Red Bull claim: 'He knows something I don't'

Brown comments on Red Bull — Photo: © IMAGO

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McLaren F1 boss hits back at bombshell Red Bull claim: 'He knows something I don't'

Red Bull boss Mekies claimed that Lambiase might be joining as team principal

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 2 May 2026 17:27

McLaren F1 boss Zak Brown has responded to comments from Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies about a new McLaren team principal.

Brown is the CEO of McLaren Racing, and has had Andrea Stella as his team principal since the 2023 season, with the Italian going on to claim back-to-back constructors' championships with the team in 2024 and 2025.

From around 2028, Stella will be receiving some support, with McLaren having signed Max Verstappen's current race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase as their chief racing officer, working closely with Stella.

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But during an interview with Sky Sports F1 after FP1 in Miami, Red Bull team principal Mekies said that Lambiase would be going to McLaren to become team principal, stating it was an 'extraordinary' opportunity for the Brit.

Brown immediately set out to set the record straight, making sure that everybody knew that his full support was behind Stella, and that Lambiase would not be replacing the Italian as McLaren team principal.

"He knows something I don't, apparently," Brown said about Mekies' comments live on Sky in Miami. "I've got a great one [team principal]. I got the best one in pit lane, Andrea Stella. So I couldn't be happier with Andrea.

"Andrea has done a fantastic job. Our technical team, and GP is a huge, huge talent. So when the opportunity presented itself to strengthen our racing team, that's exactly what we're going to do, whether it's a racing driver or an engineer or a strategist, whatever the case may be. So very happy he's going to be joining us."

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When will Lambiase be joining McLaren?

Verstappen will be pleased to hear that he still has a couple of years left with his race engineer Lambiase, having claimed in 2021 that he would stop when Lambiase stops working with him.

McLaren have stated that Lambiase will join their team in 2028 at the latest, with Brown admitting during FP1 in Miami that they are going to try and get the Brit to join up with McLaren a little earlier than that.

He did also confirm, however, that Lambiase would certainly not be joining McLaren in 2026, with Red Bull fans certain to get at least another 18 race weekends of the iconic Lambiase-Verstappen pairing.

F1 Red Bull McLaren Zak Brown Gianpiero Lambiase Laurent Mekies