Zak Brown hopes Max Verstappen sticks to Red Bull instead of a move to Mercedes in latest dig at the Austrian team

McLaren boss Zak Brown has hoped that Max Verstappen continues to stay at Red Bull instead of going to Mercedes, as the Austrian team is struggling at the moment. Much has been said about the Dutch driver's future, especially since the Milton Keynes-based squad started to struggle.

The rumors and speculations were at an all-time high last season when there were rumors of Verstappen sitting with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. As it turned out, the conversation did not lead to anything, as the Dutch driver is still at Red Bull and continues to commit his future to the team.

At the same time, the 2026 F1 regulations are around the corner, and these regulations will pull the focus back on the power unit. Red Bull is building its own PU for the first time, while Mercedes is rumored to have once again stolen the march over the rest of the field.

Quite a few pundits have thus suggested that Mercedes should be in a strong position next season, and at the same time, Red Bull could struggle. Zak Brown was talking to the Telegraph regarding the same, and the McLaren boss said that he hoped that Max Verstappen would stick with the Austrian team and not switch bases. He said:

“If you ask me now and if I look at the current situation, I’d rather see Max driving at Red Bull than at Mercedes. There is a lot of talk about the cars next year, but no one can be sure who is in the best position. What I can say is that I have an incredible amount of confidence in Mercedes. Then I look at their track record as a motorcycle supplier and at their body language."

He added:

“Lately, there have been many parties who want the engine regulations to be adjusted. If you think you’re competitive, you don’t want to change anything. At Mercedes I see that they seem very comfortable. Just as we are now about those rule changes that will soon be made in Barcelona. But that doesn’t mean we’re sitting back."

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The struggles for Max Verstappen's team do not surprise Zak Brown

Red Bull has been on a slide in terms of performance in the last 18 or so months. While Max Verstappen was able to scrape through last season in terms of winning the title, this time around it's going to be very hard because from the beginning of the season, McLaren appears to have the edge.

The struggles at Red Bull, however, don't surprise Zak Brown, as he points to the loss of key talent. He said (via the aforementioned interview):

“Am I surprised that Red Bull has fallen back? No, I’m not surprised. When you lose men like Adrian Newey, Rob Marshall, Jonathan Wheatley and probably more people, this is not surprising. And from what I read about it, Red Bull is mainly saying that they will not miss them. But it looks like it. Rob Marshall now works for us as Chief Designer and is a very smart engineer. I see what he has brought to our team. He does a fantastic job.”

Max Verstappen's future is going to be an interesting discussion this season and the next, and a lot will depend on where Red Bull stands in the pecking order.