McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has dismissed rumours linking him to Ferrari, calling reports of a pre-contract with the Italian team “mythical” and laughing off speculation that has intensified since the announcement of Gianpiero Lambiase’s move from Red Bull.
The speculation emerged after McLaren confirmed that Lambiase, Max Verstappen’s longtime race engineer and Red Bull’s head of racing, would be joining the Woking team. De Limburger journalist Jacky Martens claimed Stella had “already committed by signing a pre-contract with Ferrari,” prompting questions about whether Lambiase was being recruited to replace Stella as team principal.
Stella Denies Ferrari Link
In an interview published on the McLaren team website, Stella addressed the rumours directly and made clear they hold no truth.
“Honestly, some of the recent rumours, including those regarding astronomical salaries and mythical pre-contracts, have made me smile,” Stella said. “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.”
The Italian used a pointed metaphor to describe the speculation: “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…”
Lambiase’s Role Clarified
McLaren released a statement clarifying that Lambiase will join the team to support Stella in his role as chief racing officer, explicitly stating that the current team principal is not leaving. The move represents an expansion of McLaren’s leadership structure rather than a replacement.
The confusion stemmed partly from Stella’s deep history with Ferrari. He joined the Scuderia in 2000 and became Michael Schumacher’s performance engineer in 2002. He later worked with Kimi Raikkonen from 2007 before becoming Fernando Alonso’s race engineer in 2010. Stella departed Ferrari in 2014 to join McLaren.
McLaren’s Recent Success
Since becoming McLaren team principal in 2023, Stella has overseen a dramatic turnaround in the team’s fortunes. McLaren has won back-to-back constructors’ championships under his leadership, with Lando Norris claiming the drivers’ title last year.
The suggestion that Stella might return to Ferrari comes at a time when McLaren sits third in the 2026 constructors’ standings with 46 points, trailing Mercedes (135 points) and Ferrari (90 points) after the opening races of the season.
Stella’s emphatic denial and McLaren’s public clarification of Lambiase’s incoming role appear designed to end speculation before it gains further traction during the European swing of the 2026 season.