Marko reveals Red Bull already secured Ferrari successor for Lambiase

The Milton Keynes outfit is set to lose, in just over a year’s time, yet another key figure who has played a major role not only in its success over the past decade, but also in forming one of the most iconic driver-engineer pairings in Formula 1 alongside Max Verstappen. The Italian engineer is in fact set to become McLaren’s new Chief Racing Officer, reporting directly to Andrea Stella, as the Woking-based team pulls off another major coup after already securing the likes of Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay from Red Bull in recent years.

Speaking to OE24, Helmut Marko pointed out that top-performing figures inevitably attract interest from rival teams, noting that Lambiase’s profile has grown significantly through his work alongside Verstappen. He also revealed that Red Bull have already moved to secure a replacement from Ferrari.

“Successful people are always poached, Lambiase has been in the public eye through Max. For this, a replacement has been brought in from Ferrari,” he said, suggesting Red Bull were not caught off guard by the news. The Austrian, however, stopped short of naming any names, leaving a veil of mystery over who the figure recruited from Maranello might be.

The news of Lambiase’s departure had sparked doubts over Andrea Stella’s position, but Zak Brown moved to address the rumours in detail while speaking to GPblog and other media. The McLaren CEO made it clear the team is fully committed to maintaining stability and long-term continuity, highlighting the presence of several talented individuals within the organisation who are ready to step up, particularly on the racing operations side.

Brown also pointed out that Stella’s current responsibilities go well beyond the traditional team principal role, as he effectively combines leadership of the racing team with a significant influence on the technical side alongside Peter Prodromou.

In that sense, Stella is seen as the key figure holding the entire structure together, although Brown acknowledged that the modern demands of Formula 1 have made the role increasingly complex, suggesting that asking one person to cover three major areas at once is a significant challenge, despite Stella’s capabilities.