The McLaren Power Struggle: Why Mekies Keeps Exposing Lambiase’s Secret Contract
Red Bull Racing might be bleeding key personnel, but their management knows exactly how to weaponize a departure. Current Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies is actively orchestrating a massive public relations headache for McLaren , and he refuses to let the narrative die. According to a fresh update from GPBlog , Mekies has officially doubled down on his bombshell claim: Gianpiero Lambiase is not just joining McLaren to help out in the garage; he is explicitly heading to Woking to take Andrea Stella’s job as Team Principal.
The Multi-Million Dollar Clause When McLaren initially announced the poaching of Max Verstappen’s legendary race engineer, they carefully framed the acquisition. Woking’s official PR line stated that Lambiase would join by the 2028 season as their new Chief Racing Officer. McLaren CEO Zak Brown quickly jumped in front of the cameras at the Miami Grand Prix to defend his current leadership, stating he “couldn’t be happier with Andrea” and flatly denying that Stella was being pushed out (via GPBlog ).
But Mekies knows the actual numbers, and by doubling down on his initial claims, he is forcing a very uncomfortable truth into the public eye. SUZUKA, JAPAN – MARCH 28: Gianpiero Lambiase, Head of Racing of Oracle Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing in the garage prior to qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on March 28, 2026 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202603280207 // Usage for editorial use only // Paddock insiders have revealed that Lambiase’s move is a massive, football-style transfer built on a highly specific operational promise.
He is heavily earmarked to take over the Team Principal role from Stella when his Red Bull contract officially runs out at the end of 2027. More importantly, the agreement is reportedly bulletproof: if McLaren fails to promote Lambiase to Team Principal “for any reason,” Woking is legally obligated to hand him a massive multi-million dollar payout. A Ticking Clock for Andrea Stella You do not write a multi-million dollar penalty clause into a contract unless the promotion is the core focal point of the deal.
Mekies knows this. By repeatedly and emphatically telling the press that Lambiase “will become the team principal there”, Mekies is intentionally drowning out Zak Brown’s corporate spin. This creates an incredibly toxic environment for Andrea Stella.