League: F1 Sport: Motorsports Country: Global Category: Transactions

Stella focuses on McLaren amid Verstappen's speculative Red Bull exit

Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jul 9, 2026, 5:01 AM

Last updated Jul 9, 2026

Stella focuses on McLaren amid Verstappen's speculative Red Bull exit

Summary

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella addressed speculation regarding Max Verstappen's potential departure from Red Bull during a press event at Silverstone. Stella emphasized his commitment to improving McLaren's performance, acknowledging ongoing reliability issues. He refrained from commenting on Red Bull's situation but expressed confidence in Laurent Mekies’ capabilities. Meanwhile, McLaren CEO Zak Brown discussed the timeline for a critical Mercedes engine upgrade, confirming the team is not frustrated by the delay and is focused on maximizing current performance until the new power unit becomes available.

Source Links

Yahoo Sports

Key Details

•Andrea Stella prioritizes McLaren's improvements over Red Bull's issues.
•Max Verstappen's potential exit from Red Bull has sparked speculation.
•Zak Brown clarified that McLaren awaits a Mercedes engine upgrade.
•Stella expressed optimism about closing the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari.

Latest Updates

5:01 AMYahoo Sports — Stella refuses to be drawn into Red Bull turmoil: 'I have enough to do at McLaren'

What they're saying

"
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was asked what he would do if he were in Laurent Mekies' position at Red Bull, facing the prospect of losing his lead driver after a disappointing first half of the season. For days, speculation has continued to intensify over Max Verstappen's potential departure at the end of the season, with a move to McLaren emerging as a possible destination.
— Yahoo Sports

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