Zak Brown: I’d rather see Max Verstappen stay with Red Bull

Red Bull? Mercedes? Aston Martin? These are reportedly the options Max Verstappen has for 2026. But McLaren CEO Zak Brown says the four-time world champion should stay with Red Bull.

Who will win F1 2026?

Brown believes that Mercedes could, as in 2014, surprise everyone thanks to its powertrain technology. The year 2026 marks the biggest reset in the history of Formula 1. The sport will introduce new cars – smaller and lighter – that will also use improved drive technology.

The question just arises: who will emerge as the winner?

The last time the engines underwent major changes, Mercedes dominated from 2014 to 2020, while Red Bull was the best after the last aerodynamic change, from 2021 to 2024.

In 2026, both changes will occur – the cars will be smaller, lighter and more agile, and the power unit will have a 50/50 power split between internal combustion and electricity.

Considering that, from what he's heard, Mercedes are happy with their results on the test bench, Brown would prefer Verstappen to stay at Red Bull rather than move to Mercedes.

"If you ask me now and if I look at the current situation, I'd rather see Max drive for Red Bull than Mercedes," Brown told De Telegraaf.

“There’s a lot of talk about the cars for next year, but no one can say for sure who is in the best position. What I can say is that I have an incredible amount of confidence in Mercedes. When I look at their performance as an engine supplier and the body language of their people.”

“There’s been a lot of talk lately about changing the engine rules. If you think you’re competitive, you don’t want to change anything. I see Mercedes coming in very confident.”

“The same way we are now with the rule changes that will come into effect in Barcelona. But that doesn’t mean we’re relaxing.”

“Am I surprised that Red Bull has regressed? No, I’m not. When you lose people like Adrian Newey, Rob Marshall, Jonathan Wheatley and probably a few others, it’s not a surprise. And from what I’ve read, Red Bull pretty much claim they won’t even notice.”

"But it looks like he will. Rob Marshall is working with us now as our lead designer and he's a very smart engineer. I can see what he's brought to our team. He's doing a fantastic job."