Overview
- Team bosses Zak Brown and Laurent Mekies held clear-the-air talks in the Miami Grand Prix paddock, and both now say the issue is closed.
- Mekies had told TV that Gianpiero Lambiase would be a team principal at McLaren, but Brown rejected that and McLaren says Andrea Stella remains team principal.
- Both teams repeat that Lambiase’s titled role is chief racing officer, with McLaren saying he will join no later than 2028 and Red Bull pointing to his contract running to 2028.
- Brown signaled interest in an earlier release and warned that keeping a senior figure who is set to leave can force teams to limit what that person learns.
- Red Bull acknowledged recent senior exits and said it is prioritizing retention and internal promotions, while also adding targeted hires such as Andrea Landi alongside leaders like Ben Hodgkinson and Pierre Wache.