Zak Brown addresses Andrea Stella Ferrari return rumours after Gianpiero Lambiase’s shock McLaren move. Zak Brown dismisses rumours linking Andrea Stella with a Ferrari return.

The Formula 1 paddock has been shaken by speculation following the announcement that Gianpiero Lambiase, long-time race engineer for Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, will leave the Milton Keynes-based team in 2028 to take up a senior leadership role at McLaren. The move has triggered a wider wave of discussion about potential internal restructuring at McLaren and, more specifically, the future of team principal Andrea Stella.

Andrea Stella currently holds a key leadership position at McLaren, but his name quickly became linked with a possible return to the Maranello team due to his long-standing history with the Italian side. However, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has moved swiftly to shut down the growing speculation surrounding Andrea Stella’s future.

Andrea Stella’s Ferrari background and McLaren leadership role

Before becoming a central figure in McLaren’s modern resurgence, Andrea Stella spent nearly 15 years working at Ferrari between 2000 and 2014. During his tenure at the Italian team, Andrea Stella served in multiple engineering roles and eventually rose to prominence as a race engineer, working closely with high-profile drivers like Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso during their respective Ferrari campaigns.

Following the end of the 2014 Formula 1 season, Andrea Stella made the move to McLaren, where he gradually climbed the organisational structure and eventually became team principal, playing a major role in the team’s recent competitive revival alongside key technical and operational restructuring efforts.

With McLaren continuing to build momentum in the modern hybrid era, Andrea Stella has been viewed as one of the central figures behind the team’s strategic and technical stability.

Zak Brown responds to Ferrari return speculation

Speaking in a recent interview with Sky Sports F1, McLaren CEO Zak Brown directly addressed rumours linking Andrea Stella with a potential return to Ferrari, firmly rejecting the speculation and insisting that there is no foundation to the claims currently circulating in the paddock.

Zak Brown explained that McLaren has been aware of external attempts to destabilise the team narrative, suggesting that some rival interests may be contributing to the spread of unfounded stories regarding Andrea Stella’s future.

According to Zak Brown, the rumours surrounding Andrea Stella leaving McLaren were described as entirely baseless, with the CEO emphasising that internal confidence in the team principal remains extremely strong.

Zak Brown also stressed that Andrea Stella remains deeply integrated into McLaren’s long-term project, underlining that both the organisation and Andrea Stella himself are fully committed to continuing their collaboration over the coming seasons.

McLaren unity reinforced amid Lambiase appointment

The McLaren CEO further addressed the arrival of Gianpiero Lambiase, noting that the incoming senior figure will work closely with Andrea Stella once he officially joins the team in 2028.

Zak Brown highlighted that Andrea Stella was in fact the individual who originally brought Gianpiero Lambiase into the McLaren structure, reinforcing the idea that their working relationship is built on mutual trust and long-term professional alignment.

While the addition of Gianpiero Lambiase is expected to strengthen McLaren’s leadership and operational depth, Zak Brown made it clear that Andrea Stella’s position remains secure and central to the team’s future ambitions in Formula 1.

As speculation continues to circulate within the paddock, McLaren’s leadership has attempted to project stability, particularly as the team looks to regain its upward trajectory against Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, and Mercedes in the ongoing Formula 1 development race.