Stella Sidesteps Verstappen Speculation, Says McLaren Has 'Enough to Do' Internally

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella refused to be drawn into speculation over Max Verstappen's future at Red Bull, insisting his full attention is locked on fixing his own team's reliability and performance deficits. While rumors of a blockbuster 2026 move to Woking continue to intensify, Stella made clear that extracting more pace from the MCL40 and solving persistent power unit and chassis issues leaves no bandwidth for external drama. McLaren CEO Zak Brown also addressed the squad's current constraints, explaining why the team is still waiting for Mercedes' latest engine specification despite rivals already running the upgrade.

Why it matters:

With Verstappen's potential departure from Red Bull dominating the paddock narrative, Stella's reluctance to engage speaks volumes about McLaren's internal priorities. The team has endured a difficult opening half to the 2026 season, battling setbacks across both the Mercedes power unit and chassis while trying to close the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari. Any talk of landing a reigning multiple champion rings hollow if the team cannot first unlock the potential of its current package and establish the consistency needed to fight at the front.

The details:

• Speaking at Silverstone, Stella stressed he has "enough to do at McLaren" chasing half a second of performance rather than advising counterpart Laurent Mekies on how to handle Red Bull's turmoil. He pointed out that his team has suffered from its own reliability troubles during the opening phase of the 2026 campaign, spanning both the power unit and chassis areas.
• Stella offered a strong endorsement of Mekies, calling him "very capable, very intelligent, very competent," and expressed confidence the Red Bull team principal will navigate the situation appropriately without outside input.
• Stella added he hopes both McLaren and Red Bull can join Mercedes and Ferrari at the sharp end to create a more competitive and exciting second half of the season.
• Zak Brown revealed the delay in receiving Mercedes' latest engine upgrade is purely a matter of component life cycles. McLaren still has usable mileage on its current power units and must wait until the next planned engine change to introduce the new specification.
• Williams and Alpine have already taken the updated engine because their circumstances forced earlier changes. Williams introduced it alongside Carlos Sainz's replacement power unit following his issues, while Alpine's situation also necessitated a sooner-than-planned swap.

What's next:

The focus now shifts to McLaren's upcoming engine rotation, which will eventually bring the latest Mercedes specification into the pool and offer a welcome performance boost. Until then, the team must maximize its existing package while Stella continues to push for gains on the chassis side. Whether Verstappen ultimately lands at McLaren remains a distant unknown, but for now, the message from Woking is clear: sort your own house out first, and let the driver market take care of itself.