Zak Brown weighs in on the Dutch driver’s potential move
The future of Dutch Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen continues to dominate headlines and conversations in the F1 paddock. Currently, Max Verstappen trails Australian driver Oscar Piastri by 61 points in the 2025 Formula One World Championship standings. So far, Verstappen has only managed to win two races this season due to Red Bull Racing’s underwhelming performance compared to recent years.
Meanwhile, George Russell has yet to officially extend his contract with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. As long as the British driver’s renewal remains unsigned, speculation continues that Max Verstappen might activate a release clause and leave Red Bull Racing before his current contract expires in 2028—potentially to join Mercedes starting in 2026.
Speaking to ESPN, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown addressed the scenario with remarkable honesty, commenting on the possibility of Verstappen and Mercedes forming a new partnership: “It’s a bit scary,” Brown admitted. “Mercedes is a team that’s clearly improving in terms of performance, unlike Red Bull at the moment. And Verstappen is an incredibly talented driver. The Verstappen-Mercedes pairing would definitely be a very serious rival for us. That said, I’m very satisfied with my current driver line-up and wouldn’t change it even if Verstappen became available.”
However, before looking ahead to 2026, Zak Brown stressed the importance of not overlooking the remainder of the current season. According to the McLaren boss, the 2025 Formula 1 season still holds many uncertainties: “Max Verstappen and George Russell are not that far apart in the standings,” Zak Brown noted. “If Red Bull or Mercedes manage to make the kind of performance leap that we did in 2024, everything would be back in play—especially since we’re not even halfway through the season yet.” – he concluded ahead of the British Grand Prix weekend.
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