Mekies claims that Lambiase is set to become the head of McLaren as speculation grows.

      "He appears to have insights that I lack!"

      Laurent Mekies has effectively acknowledged that Gianpiero Lambiase is set to join McLaren as the future team principal, despite his attempts to minimize the announcement. "Gianpiero has an amazing opportunity ahead of him. He will take on the role of team principal at McLaren. I wish him all the best," the Red Bull chief stated in Miami.

      This statement stands in contrast to McLaren's more reserved public position regarding Lambiase's hiring, especially with speculation that he may ultimately succeed Andrea Stella, who has been rumored to be returning to Ferrari, although he has denied such claims. McLaren CEO Zak Brown smiled when asked about Mekies' statements. "He seems to have information that I don’t!" Brown remarked.

      "I have Andrea Stella, who is the top team principal in the entire paddock, and I’m extremely satisfied with his performance." He added, "However, my responsibility is to attract the best talent to enhance the team, which includes both those managing from the pit wall and those at the factory in Woking."

      "Andrea is performing exceptionally well, but Gianpiero is also a highly skilled specialist, and when the opportunity to enhance our racing team arose, we needed to seize it." Max Verstappen is taking the news of his long-time race engineer's departure in stride. "I’ll have to collaborate with someone new, but I believe times change, and given the offer he received, it would be foolish of me to try to keep him," he told Dutch media.

      "It’s not solely about me; it’s also about his career and the chance for him to progress, so for me, it was an obvious decision." The Dutch driver mentioned that he will need to find another race engineer. "Otherwise, I won't be able to compete," Verstappen stated. "We are looking ahead and evaluating race engineers. I’m confident we’ll find solutions."

      Mekies also allayed concerns that this move could lead to Verstappen's departure, even joking about it. "Max wouldn’t still be here if he didn’t believe in it," he said, expressing to De Limburger newspaper that he would "wager a bottle of wine" that the four-time world champion remains with the team. Meanwhile, the driver market remains active, with Spanish DAZN commentator Antonio Lobato suggesting that a Spaniard could be a likely candidate to replace Verstappen. "They’ve always mentioned their interest in having him back," he commented regarding Carlos Sainz and a potential return to Red Bull.