Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has confirmed that Max Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will become McLaren team principal, not just chief racing officer as previously announced. Mekies made the statement at the Miami Grand Prix, directly contradicting McLaren's initial announcement that Lambiase would join as chief racing officer "no later than 2028".

McLaren had previously stated the role of chief racing officer already existed within their structure and was being handled by Andrea Stella in addition to his responsibilities as team principal. The team's March announcement described Lambiase's hire as designed to strengthen their talent pool while reaffirming their commitment to championship success.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown responded to Mekies' comments by saying the Red Bull boss "knows something I don't" while praising team principal Andrea Stella. Brown emphasized his focus on getting the best talent for the team. Uncertainty remains around the exact timing of Lambiase's move to McLaren, with some speculation suggesting it could happen sooner than the 2028 timeline initially mentioned.