18/07/2025 14:35
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has conceded that Max Verstappen
teaming up with Mercedes is a prospect that is "pretty comfortable"
to comprehend. The American has been outspoken about Max
Verstappen's situation at Red Bull, but would rather he stay put
with the Milton Keynes-based squad. Highlighting how the Dutchman
is "carrying" the six-time constructors' champions , Brown pointed
out that without the four-time F1 drivers' champion, the team would
be behind sister outfit Racing Bulls in the standings. Brown's
comments come amid increasing speculation that Verstappen could
look for an exit from the Christian Horner-led operation, seeking a
fresh start at Mercedes. It remains unclear whether the talks his
camp is engaged in with Mercedes, and its team principal Toto
Wolff, hinge on 2026 or 2027, but with an F1 regulations overhaul
coming over the winter, the Brackley squad is poised to start the
new era in competitive fashion, something that concerns Brown. "I
think Mercedes is a team on the rise," the 53-year-old told The
Sports Agents podcast. "Red Bull at the moment has challenges; it
doesn't mean that they can't fix those challenges." McLaren is a
Mercedes power unit customer. With whispers that the German marque
has aced those new-for-2026 rules, as it did at the turn of the
current turbo-hybrid era in 2014, Brown understandably does not
wish to see the Silver Arrows graced with an advantage. The
Woking-based team won its first constructors' title since 1998 last
term and looks set to go back-to-back for the first time since the
early 1990s this campaign. Therefore, a lot is at stake for the
reigning champions. "But Max in a Mercedes is pretty uncomfortable
to think about because he's awesome," Brown added before
emphasising the huge loss Verstappen would be for Red Bull. "So, I
think I'd rather he stay where he is," he said. "I think it would
be a disaster for Red Bull if they lost Max."
