F1: Brown meets with Mekies to try and poach Lambiase earlier

(GMM) Zak Brown and Laurent Mekies (pictured) held talks in Miami to calm tensions over the future of Gianpiero Lambiase.

The dispute had flared after Red Bull boss Mekies suggested Lambiase – who is set to join McLaren in 2028 – could eventually become team principal, prompting a public pushback from Brown.

The McLaren CEO had also hinted the situation could become uncomfortable for Lambiase long before his contract ends in 2028.

McLaren boss Zak Brown and Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies – FIA Press Conference

“We know how this game works,” Brown said.

“At some point, it will probably be uncomfortable having someone who you know is going to a rival team.”

“If someone doesn’t want to be in my team anymore – I’ve never been one who feels like people steal from each other like drivers, sponsors. You lose them or they have interest in something else.

“So, 2028 is when his contract is through – we’ll wait if that’s what’s necessary.”

But he also left the door open to an earlier move.

“If there’s something to be done earlier, we are of course interested in that.”

“It just makes things uncomfortable, right? If I had someone in my racing team that I knew was going, at some point teams start cutting off knowledge that he might have.”

“That’s just how it works so we have to see how it goes.”

According to De Telegraaf, the two team bosses met in the paddock to clear the air amid the escalating rift.

Mekies confirmed the tone of the discussion.

“We talk very often with Zak and with my other colleagues,” he said.

“Certainly none of us wanted to go into a ping-pong about it, and we had a good chat about it, like we always do, and we move on.”

He also stressed Red Bull’s broader focus on retaining talent.

Editor’s Note: Red Bull has failed miserably at retaining talent – rival teams have poached all their best employees.

“We don’t want to be defensive about the fact that we lost some talents – it’s a fact – and it’s been there for three or four years,” Mekies said.

“It’s the highest priority in the team to make sure that we create the advantage in order to retain, develop, and attract the best talent in the pitlane.”

Despite the public sparring, both sides played down any lasting friction.

“There may be a slight translation error, but I think everyone respects him very much,” Brown said of Mekies.

“Absolutely.”