ANDREA STELLA LINKED WITH SHOCK FERRARI RETURN
Rumors about a possible return to Scuderia Ferrari have started to circulate around Andrea Stella, the current team principal of McLaren. The Italian engineer built much of his early Formula 1 career with Ferrari and is still strongly associated with the Maranello team. With several management changes potentially coming in the next few years, Stella’s name has been mentioned as a possible candidate for a future role back at Ferrari.
These rumors have gained attention following reports from the Dutch newspaper De Limburger, which revealed that Gianpiero Lambiase could join McLaren in 2028 after the end of his current contract with Red Bull Racing. The move would see the current race engineer of Max Verstappen take on a major leadership role at the Woking-based team.
According to further details reported by De Telegraaf and journalist Erik van Haren, McLaren may view Lambiase as a future team principal. This long-term plan could be linked to the possibility that Stella may not remain with the team indefinitely, especially with his name now being connected to a potential comeback at Ferrari.
McLaren had previously announced a multi-year contract extension with Stella in August 2024, confirming their trust in his leadership. Meanwhile, Ferrari’s current team principal, Frédéric Vasseur, signed a contract extension last year that is believed to run at least until the end of the 2027 Formula 1 season.
Andrea Stella has built a long career in Formula 1. An aerospace engineer who graduated from Sapienza University of Rome, he joined Ferrari in 2000 and worked as a race engineer for drivers such as Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen, and Fernando Alonso. In 2015 he moved to McLaren, where he gradually rose through the team’s structure before becoming team principal in December 2022, replacing Andreas Seidl.
Under Stella’s leadership, McLaren returned to the front of the grid. The team won the Constructors’ Championship in 2024, ending a 26-year wait since their last title in 1998. McLaren repeated that success in 2025, again winning the Constructors’ Championship and also securing the Drivers’ title with Lando Norris. During Stella’s time as team principal, the team has achieved more than 20 Grand Prix victories, making him one of the most successful leaders in McLaren’s modern history.
With Lambiase reportedly set to arrive in 2028, speculation about Stella’s future continues to grow, and a possible return to Ferrari is now being discussed within the Formula 1 paddock.
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