The CEO of the papaya team assured that he is "delighted" with his current duo. He admitted that the Dutchman is an "incredible driver" and that, if a vacancy opened up, he would be on the list, Lambiase will join the team in 2028.
The announcement of Gianpiero Lambiase's addition to McLaren starting in 2028 sparked speculation about a possible move by Max Verstappen to the Woking team. The engineer, known as "GP," has been the Dutchman's trusted man since his arrival at Red Bull in 2016, his departure from Milton Keynes, confirmed during the April break, opened a question mark about the future of the four time champion.
Zak Brown, McLaren's CEO, was asked about it during an interview with Sky Sports F1 at the Miami Grand Prix and the executive was forceful: "I couldn't be happier with our driver lineup. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are not only two incredible guys on and off the track, but they also work very well as teammates. I think that's what has made McLaren successful, the chemistry we have in the garage, in the factory, on the pit wall and throughout the race team," he said.
Brown insisted that he has no plans to change his current pair: "I have no intention of changing," he assured. Norris is in his eighth season with the papaya team, while Piastri arrived in 2023 as a rookie, both have multi year contracts and have established themselves as one of the most solid duos on the grid.
The journalist insisted on whether Verstappen would be at the top of the list if a vacancy ever opened up, the American did not deny the Dutchman's talent: "He's an incredible driver, if a gap opened up, that's another conversation, of course. When you see the talent he has, yes and if you were looking for a racing driver, I think there are many great drivers out there. Charles Leclerc is doing an incredible job, it's great to see Lewis Hamilton back to his best," he added.
Brown also highlighted the Mercedes drivers: "Kimi Antonelli is doing a great job, George Russell is a great driver, but look what Kimi is doing here, I almost feel like he's the favorite for the championship right now," he stated. The executive, however, recalled the volatility of the sport: "We see how quickly things change in this sport."
For his part, Verstappen already spoke about Lambiase's departure, the Dutchman said he is "very happy for him" and praised the chemistry they shared throughout all these years, something he described as "very rare in racing." However, Verstappen himself had linked his future to that of his engineer in the past, which fueled the rumors.
For now, Brown closes the door. "I'm happy with what I've got, so I hope I don't have to look for a driver," he concluded.