McLaren and Lambiase meet publicly to pressure Red Bull early release

The choice of a café table on the main paddock thoroughfare, rather than any of the quieter spaces available at a circuit this size, tells you everything: this was theatre with a purpose. McLaren is signalling to Red Bull that the relationship is already open and progressing, making a prolonged contract standoff look increasingly pointless. Red Bull's leverage is real but shrinking — with Tom McCullough and Tom Hart both now named as successors, the internal argument for holding Lambiase through 2027 gets harder to sustain. The unresolved question is the handover timeline: Red Bull wants McCullough properly briefed before Lambiase walks, which means the earliest realistic window for McLaren may still be the start of next season rather than mid-year.