Brown closes the door on Verstappen, but Red Bull gives him reason to stay

Zak Brown has shut the door on Max Verstappen joining McLaren. But with Red Bull’s strong performance on Friday, and the prospect of more to come, that point may already be irrelevant, as a long-anticipated departure from the Austrian team no longer looks as clear-cut as it once did.

They were words that could have come straight out of the PR handbook. After Brown was asked whether there would be room for Verstappen if the Dutchman indicated he wanted to come to McLaren, he launched into a long explanation about how happy the CEO of the British team is with his drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The follow-up question—summed up as, is this a ‘no’ and thus no spot for Verstappen, was confirmed by the American.

It might seem a remarkable statement from Brown, slamming the door on the best Formula 1 driver of his generation. But thinking like the head of the reigning world champions, it’s entirely logical that such a strong denial came. After all, the last thing Brown wants is to create unrest among his drivers. Moreover, Brown will not currently be assuming that Verstappen wants to drive for McLaren in 2027. That makes this response easier to deliver.

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McLaren CEO, Zak Brown, during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend – Photo: Race Pictures

Verstappen is currently contemplating his future, with the first question being whether he even wants to remain in the sport. Once that answer is clear to him, the four-time world champion will only then consider which team might host him. That’s exactly how it is: Verstappen picks a team, which will undoubtedly make room for Formula 1’s biggest star. If necessary, McLaren will do that too, under the right conditions.

If Verstappen decides to leave Red Bull Racing—which is far from a certainty—then Mercedes is seen in the F1 paddock as the most logical destination. Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff, after waiting more than ten years, would never pass up the chance to sign Verstappen, although the Austrian already has Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell under multi-year contracts.

But this is Formula 1; in such a case, a driver would still have to make way. If Russell doesn’t finish this season as world champion, then everyone in Formula 1 expects Verstappen to replace him—assuming, of course, the Dutchman wants to make the switch. Even if the Briton does win his first world title, the consensus in Monaco is that the hope for the future, Antonelli, remains, with Verstappen alongside him.

Ultimately, it all remains speculation after a Friday in which Red Bull Racing looked unexpectedly strong. Verstappen ended the day behind the untouchable Ferraris, but ahead of Mercedes and McLaren, with the three-tenths gap to Russell in fourth feeling more significant than it appears on paper. McLaren, meanwhile, does not expect to be in the fight for the front this weekend.

With a strong qualifying, Verstappen could well put himself in podium contention on Sunday — a solid outcome after his third place in Canada. It would also reinforce the sense that the Austrian outfit is moving in the right direction, steadily closing the gap to the once out-of-reach front-runners earlier this season.

If Red Bull continues on that trajectory and even starts to see prospects for more, there may be little reason for the Dutchman to consider a move away. In that case, Wolff would not need to think about reshuffling his line-up, and Brown may well be proven right after all: Norris and Piastri will simply be racing in papaya again next year.