McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has made a shocking claim about Red Bull, as reports of Max Verstappen’s departure intensify.
Brown’s McLaren team is at the pinnacle of the sport, topping the Formula One Constructors’ Championship table by a considerable margin while his two drivers lead the Drivers’ Championship.
| Position | Constructors' Standings | Points |
| 1 | McLaren Racing | 417 |
| 2 | Scuderia Ferrari | 210 |
| 3 | Mercedes-AMG Petronas | 209 |
| 4 | Red Bull Racing | 162 |
But that hasn’t stopped him weighing in on the Verstappen saga ahead of this weekend’s Silverstone Grand Prix.
Zak Brown claims Red Bull would be slower than Racing Bulls if Max Verstappen leaves
Speaking with Sky F1 a day before the first practice session at his team’s home race, Brown was asked where Red Bull would be without their four-time world champion, and arguably the best F1 driver on the grid.
The American said, “They would probably be behind [Racing Bulls],” he replied.
He continued “They have done a great job and have a great racing car, so I think Max is carrying them at the moment.”
That’s a kick in the teeth for Red Bull. Racing Bulls, their sister team, are supposed to effectively be a development programme for the Milton Keynes-based team.
Verstappen himself, alongside other Red Bull greats such as Sebastian Vettel, progressed through the team to graduate up to Red Bull. Now, Brown is right. It’s a step down.
Red Bull have been outscored by Sauber over the last three races. In two of those, the Dutchman had his worst races of the season. Verstappen lost his cool in Canada, then Kimi Antonelli crashed into Verstappen in Austria.
That gave the team an insight into life without their star driver. It was bleak. Yuki Tsunoda in the second car has finished 13th, 12th, and 16th in his last three races, while Racing Bulls have accrued 14 points since Canada.
Rubbing dirt in the wound, Brown added, “I think I’d rather see Max in a Red Bull at the moment than in a Mercedes, because he’s doing an unbelievable job, of course.”
That suggests that Red Bull were not doing such an unbelievable job, sitting fourth in the Constructors’ and Verstappen third in the Drivers’ standings.
“Scary” Mercedes still a threat for the Drivers’ championship, says Zak Brown
On the flip side of the argument is the conversation surrounding how successful Verstappen would be at Mercedes. That’s probably the most pressing question to Brown too, who currently leads the best team on the grid, and should be looking out for potential threats.
And Brown admitted that Verstappen and Mercedes would be exactly that. When asked about the potential partnership, he said, “That’s a bit scary. I think Mercedes is clearly on a forward trajectory, Red Bull clearly is not at the moment, and Max is an unbelievable talent.
“So Max in a Mercedes – that’s some pretty serious competition.”
He even went as far as to say that Mercedes weren’t out of this year’s Drivers’ Championships, despite Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris’ healthy lead over George Russell.
He was asked if the Drivers’ title was a two-horse race, and replied, “No, it’s way too early. [Max] is an unbelievable talent of course, and I don’t think George Russell is out of the game. You know we’re not even halfway through this season.
“We see how quickly our season turned around last year. There’s absolutely no reason why that can’t happen with Max or the Mercedes specifically.”
| Position | Drivers' Championship | Points |
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | 216 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | 201 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | 155 |
| 4 | George Russell | 146 |
Another McLaren 1-2 at Silverstone, like we saw in Austria, would go some way to slamming the door shut on their competition, however.