McLaren boss Stella shuts down Ferrari return speculation for 2028

Gianpiero Lambiase’s departure from Red Bull, set for the end of 2027 before moving to McLaren the following year, had sparked rumours of a potential return to Maranello, where he began his F1 career and worked his way up the ranks from 2000 to 2014 before making the switch to Woking.

The speculation was quickly shut down by McLaren, which confirmed Lambiase’s appointment as chief racing officer, with Max Verstappen’s current race engineer set to report directly to Stella.

Responding directly to the rumours in a recent interview with McLaren’s website, Stella revealed he had taken the speculation in stride and laughed it off.

Reacting to the news of his right-hand man’s departure, the Dutchman told Viaplay that he encouraged him to accept the offer after being made aware of its details.

He pointed out that they had already achieved everything together and that the opportunity, particularly in terms of family security, was simply too good to turn down.

He added that, while he had effectively been asked for his approval, he made it clear that taking the offer was the right decision and that his colleague wanted to hear that reassurance from him.