Zak Brown slams the McLaren door shut on Max Verstappen

Asked by GPblog whether there could be room for four-time world champion Max Verstappen at McLaren in the future, Brown firmly backed the team's current driver pairing. While praising Verstappen's ability and reputation as one of the sport's standout talents, the McLaren CEO stressed that he sees no opening within the team at present, pointing to the success enjoyed by both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and the strong working relationship they have built together.

When pressed further on whether that should be interpreted as a definitive no to Verstappen joining McLaren, Brown left little room for doubt.

Just two weeks ago, Brown personally stepped in to address speculation linking Piastri with a potential move away from McLaren, firmly rejecting suggestions that the Australian could be tempted elsewhere. The American stressed that his philosophy extends far beyond simply securing drivers with long-term contracts, arguing that the team's responsibility is to create an environment in which its drivers, employees and commercial partners have no desire to look elsewhere.

Brown explained that, while contractual agreements naturally provide security, true success comes from building a culture where people actively want to remain part of the project. He pointed to the strength of the atmosphere within McLaren and the progress the team has made in recent years as key reasons for confidence in retaining its top talent. The McLaren CEO also acknowledged that leading figures throughout the paddock would inevitably attract interest from rival teams, describing that as a natural consequence of success in Formula 1.

Most significantly, Brown left no doubt about how highly he rates his current driver pairing. He argued that every team on the grid would be interested in having Norris and Piastri behind the wheel, but insisted that McLaren already possesses the strongest line-up available. According to Brown, assembling the best possible driver pairing is one of the foundations of any championship-winning project, and he made it clear that he would not trade his two drivers for any alternative combination currently competing in Formula 1.