Brown retracts Verstappen exit prediction amid resurgence

McLaren boss Zak Brown has walked back his earlier claims that Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull for Mercedes, now conceding the reigning champion looks more dominant than ever.

Before the summer break, Brown had openly speculated that Verstappen might join Mercedes, even calling his manager Raymond Vermeulen to ask about his contract, but with Red Bull back in form and Verstappen slashing his championship deficit from 104 to 40 points, Brown says there’s no doubt where the Dutchman’s future lies.

"The arrival of new team principal Laurent Mekies has had a huge impact," Brown told De Telegraaf. "At least, that’s how it seems from a distance." Mekies took charge from the Belgian Grand Prix, replacing Christian Horner at a time when Red Bull appeared set to collapse.

"Red Bull seemed to be falling apart completely," Brown laughed. "But now peace seems to be back. That’s less good news for us." Brown admitted he genuinely thought Verstappen would jump ship.

"For a long time, I thought Max would go to Mercedes after this season," he said. "But that’s not going to happen. In fact, lately there hasn’t been any discussion about Verstappen’s future at all."

As Verstappen’s surge continues, Brown says ignoring him would be naive. "Of course we take Max very seriously in the title fight," he said. "It would be very stupid not to." He praised both Verstappen and Red Bull for their turnaround.

"That says a lot about their performance and how good he’s feeling," Brown said. "Max seems to be in better shape than ever right now." Verstappen, who reaffirmed his commitment to Red Bull through 2026 earlier this year, now has a car finely tuned to his driving style, while McLaren faces its own internal challenge between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Following tension in recent races, McLaren lifted its internal “repercussions” against Norris after Austin, allowing both drivers to race freely. "We’ve always said we’ll let them race each other, as long as it’s fair and respectful," Brown explained.

"You can’t stop incidents in this sport, but it’s about how you handle them. We’re not going to favour one driver, unless it’s mathematically impossible for one of them to win."

Still, with Red Bull’s upgrades working and Verstappen closing in fast, Brown knows the threat is real. "Give Max a car he can handle a little better, and he disappears over the horizon," he warned. That’s exactly what Red Bull has done."