Could Verstappen be on his way to McLaren - F1 insiders believe a move is close

Rumours linking Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen with a potential move to McLaren have dominated news in in the wake of the British GP - with sources telling GPBlog an announcement is imminent.

While there has been no official confirmation from Verstappen, Red Bull, or McLaren, insiders say that a move is growing closer following Verstappen's disappointing British GP weekend.

The Dutchman was livid in his post-race debrief after he crashed out of the Silverstone race Verstappen says he is "fed up" with the "dangerous" nature of his Red Bull car and is understood to have made his feelings known to the team on Sunday night.

Verstappen remains under contract with Red Bull for another two years, the team with which he has enjoyed enormous success, including four World Drivers' Championship titles. However, he has seen a number of high profile departures from the team over the past 12 months and confidence that the team can pull him back into contention for wins seems to be at an all-time low.

Meanwhile, McLaren's impressive rise over the past two seasons has only added momentum to reasons why he would. consider moving teams.

After transforming itself from a midfield contender into a regular challenger for race victories, the Woking-based team has demonstrated that its long-term development strategy is delivering results.

Strong engineering leadership, consistent aerodynamic improvements, and growing confidence within the organisation have positioned McLaren among Formula 1's elite once again.

McLaren also offer the potential for him to race in other categories too, as they did with Fernando Alosno when he skipped then Monaco GP for the Indy 500 in 2017.

However, for Verstappen, any future decision would likely revolve around one key factor and that being competitive in F1 .

Throughout his career, he has consistently stated that his priority is having a car capable of winning races and championships. If McLaren continues its upward trajectory while maintaining its strong technical structure, it is understandable why there is speculation about the Dutch driver's long-term future.

McLaren already boasts one of Formula 1's strongest driver pairings, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both signed to long-term agreements.

The duo has played a major role in the team's resurgence, delivering podium finishes, victories, and valuable constructors' championship points. Replacing either driver would represent a major strategic decision for the team.

Financial considerations would also play a role. Verstappen is among the highest-paid drivers in Formula 1, and securing his services would require a substantial investment. While McLaren has strengthened its commercial position through sponsorship growth and improved performance, any attempt to recruit the reigning champion would involve careful financial planning.

With Norris and Piastri under contract, who would make way? The smart money would be on Piastri, given Norris is the reigning F1 world champion and has a close friendship with Verstappen.

From Red Bull's perspective, retaining Verstappen would remain a clear priority. He has been central to the team's recent dominance, consistently extracting maximum performance from the car while serving as the focal point of its championship ambitions.

Losing a driver of his calibre would represent one of the biggest changes in Formula 1 in recent years. It would also come after the losing the likes of Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Bob Marshall, Paul Monaghan, Helmut Marko and Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, who incidentally is joining McLaren.

Money is not a motivator for Verstappen, but success and progress is. In this instance, it is difficult to see how Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies can stop the rot and he might simply have no option but to leave his star driver leave for a rival.