Zak Brown leaves door open for Verstappen: 'He's amazing!

The CEO of McLaren was asked if he ever hopes to work together again with the four-time world champion in Formula 1: "Well, I would prefer to have Max as my teammate in endurance racing. Because he's recently shown his speed there too on the Nordschleife under a pseudonym," said Brown, who refers to the name Franz Hermann with which Verstappen set the fastest time on the German track.

Verstappen himself later admitted that he had to put his name on the list, but he didn't want to be recognized, so he chose a classic German name.

"Max is an amazing driver, not for nothing a four-time champion. For me, it's a pleasure to work with all the drivers within the McLaren program. And with Max? Who knows, maybe someday...", continued the American from McLaren, who doesn't close the door on a possible collaboration with the Dutchman.

McLaren announced on the Wednesday before the Dutch Grand Prix in Amsterdam that the team will get a new name in 2026.

The partnership with Mastercard is being expanded, which means that they will now officially be the title sponsor. The team will be called McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team from the start of the new season.