McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has responded for the first time to the rumors about a potential Ferrari switch. As soon as the departure of Max Verstappen’s regular race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to McLaren was confirmed, speculation immediately arose that ‘GP’ is being groomed to take over from Stella. However, the Italian team principal can laugh about it: ‘It seems like the ‘silly season’ has started early this year’.
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The current McLaren team principal worked at Ferrari for a long time starting in 2000, and saw, among other things, how Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen together won six world titles during that period. In 2015, Andrea Stella moved to McLaren, where he now holds the position of team principal. With the announced move of Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to McLaren, albeit after 2027, rumors circulated that ‘GP’ could be groomed as Stella’s successor. The McLaren team principal would in turn return to Ferrari.
On McLaren’s official website, Stella says he can laugh at all the speculation. “Honestly, I had to smile at some recent rumors, like those about astronomical salaries and mythical pre-contracts,” the Italian laughs. “It seems like the ‘silly season’, which usually starts before summer, has started early this year. I am now used to these kinds of things and I take it with a smile.”
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Poisoned cookies
The Italian then compares the spread of the rumors to running a pastry shop. “It almost seems like a jealous pastry chef tried to sabotage the preparation of a delicious dessert in McLaren’s patisserie,” says Stella. “However, we know very well how to distinguish the good ingredients from the poisoned cookies…”
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