Verstappen to McLaren? Brown does not rule out a transfer

Speaking during his appearance at the Austrian Grand Prix, the McLaren CEO was asked about the prospect of Verstappen potentially moving to the papaya-coloured outfit, with rumours continuing to swirl around a possible exit from Red Bull Racing.

Brown, while expressing satisfaction with his current driver line-up, stopped short of completely shutting the door on a move for the four-time world champion.

“Well, I’d be very surprised if Lando [Norris] or Oscar [Piastri] went elsewhere because they’re very happy. Of course, we’ve got contracts, but even besides that, contract aside, we’re very happy with them. They’re very happy here,” Brown told Sky Sports.

“If, for some strange reason, someone slipped on a banana peel getting out of the tub, then yeah, of course, Max is a four-time world champion,” he added.

Earlier, Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen, explained why the Dutch driver is yet to commit his future to the Red Bull outfit.

Vermeulen noted that his plan is to continue with Red Bull Racing, but they need a package that allows them to fight at the front of the field. “Our goal is to finish this adventure together with Red Bull. The spirit of Red Bull and the spirit of Verstappen match. We just need a package that allows us to fight at the front. That has always been the foundation. We feel at home at Red Bull, but we want to be competitive. In the end, Max wasn’t born to race in the midfield,” said Vermeulen.

Brown also revealed that McLaren are preparing a series of upgrades for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, while suggesting the team is keen to close the development gap to its rivals. The McLaren chief further hinted that the team’s much-discussed rear wing concept, which was brought to Austria but not used, could soon make its debut in a race weekend.

“Yeah, for sure. We’ve got some good upgrades coming, so does everybody else in the sport. Obviously, the rear wing, that little fun thing, will be here shortly. We brought it this weekend but weren’t ready to run it,” Brown said.

“So, I think we’re a little behind when you look at how much everyone else has upgraded their car. That’s the pace of Formula 1,” he concluded.