Members of Max Verstappen’s camp haven’t forgotten Zak Brown’s ‘unflattering’ interview remarks
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images McLaren are reportedly interested in Max Verstappen, but some members of the Dutchman’s inner circle aren’t keen to work with Zak Brown. Reports surfaced last week that Brown is targeting Verstappen, and the planned arrival of Gianpiero Lambiase in 2028 has only added momentum. Unless an early release is agreed upon, Lambiase will join McLaren at the end of his current deal.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are tied to McLaren until at least 2027, but there could be room for a move after that. Brown remains confident he already has the strongest driver pairing in F1 but understands why bringing in someone of Verstappen’s calibre would be hard to ignore. McLaren are after Verstappen, but not everyone in his camp is on board According to Daniel Moxon, writing in his Pit Lane Chronicle newsletter, McLaren’s hiring of Lambiase ‘opens the door’ for what would be an audacious move for Verstappen.
They may now be the frontrunners ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari if he decides to leave Red Bull but remain in F1. However, there are those within Verstappen’s circle who ‘don’t like the idea’ of working with Brown following some past comments. Last year, Brown described Verstappen as a ‘bruiser’ who is overly aggressive on track and also called him arrogant.
Brown was quick to reach out when those quotes began circulating, worried they were being taken out of context. Verstappen’s father Jos and manager Raymond Vermeulen are his closest advisors, though it’s unclear who is pushing back against a potential move to McLaren despite the strong pull of reuniting with Lambiase. Zak Brown has drawn parallels between Verstappen and Senna Brown has previously clarified that his comments were meant to be a compliment, not a slight.
He’s often referred to Ayrton Senna in similar terms, who happens to be his favourite driver of all time. The comparison between Verstappen and Senna felt especially fitting for Brown after Verstappen’s remarkable drive from 17th to first at the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix. Despite some of the tension between McLaren and Red Bull in recent years, Brown and Verstappen have always spoken respectfully of each other.