Zak Brown reignites the F1 power struggle: McLaren boss warns Red Bull’s dominance is “cracking” as rumors swirl of Max Verstappen’s shock move to Mercedes in 2026 shake-up.
Max Verstappen has been strongly linked with a switch from Red Bull to Mercedes and McLaren chief Zak Brown has given his verdict on what would be a blockbuster F1 move
Max Verstappen’s future is the talk of the Silverstone paddock(Image: Formula 1 via Getty Images)
McLaren chief Zak Brown said he’d rather see Max Verstappen stick with Red Bull than make a blockbuster switch to Mercedes. Explaining why, the American suggested he believes the four-time Formula 1 champion would be a tougher opponent if he switched to the Silver Arrows.
Verstappen has a Red Bull contract until 2028 but it contains clauses which may allow him to leave before then. And, with Red Bull struggling for performance and Mercedes keen to snatch him from their rivals’ grasp, he has been heavily linked with a switch ahead of the 2026 season.
Sky Italy reported this week that Verstappen’s camp might be “close” to agreeing to swap teams, but the Dutchman refused to answer questions on the subject ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix. Asked by Mirror Sport at Silverstone on Thursday if he could directly say he will be a Red Bull Racing driver next year, Verstappen declined to give a straight answer.
Despite Red Bull’s struggles, Verstappen remains the closest challenger to the two McLaren drivers duelling for the title this year. And Brown is of the belief that the Dutchman could be a much bigger threat next year if he is driving a Silver Arrow instead.
“I think Mercedes is a team on the rise,” he told The Sports Agents podcast. “Red Bull at the moment has challenges; it doesn’t mean that they can’t fix those challenges.
“But Max in a Mercedes is pretty uncomfortable to think about, because he’s awesome. So, I think I’d rather him stay where he is. I think it would be a disaster for Red Bull if they lost Max.”
Should they get a yes out of Verstappen, Mercedes would have to decide which of their drivers to replace. George Russell is leading their charge on track this year and is enjoying possibly his most impressive season in F1, yet it remains more likely that the team would choose to retain Kimi Antonelli who they see as a future superstar.
Former F1 champion Jenson Button would love to see a blockbuster partnership between rivals Russell and Verstappen, who haven’t always got along. And the 2009 title-winner thinks it would be very hard on his fellow Brit if he were to lose his place to the four-time champion.
Button said: “Someone like Max thinking about moving to Mercedes, it’s exciting for him. It’s exciting for all of us watching that are fans of the sport. I would love to see it! Whether it would happen or not, I don’t know. But from my point of view as a fan of the sport and also doing TV work – yes, we want to see that! We want to see that within a team.
“I’m a big fan of both of them. I think they’re both very skilled. I feel for George a little bit because everyone’s saying if Max does go to Mercedes, it’ll be George that’s leaving, but the guy is at the top of his game, you know? He’s an exceptional talent, works hard. When he was up against Lewis [Hamilton], he beat Lewis.”
