Brown hurls Verstappen Red Bull bombshell to unsettle F1 rivals

Zak Brown believes Max Verstappen will leave Red Bull at the end of the current F1 season, identifying Mercedes as the Dutchman's most likely landing spot.

The McLaren Racing CEO claims that if were to bet on it, he would wager on the four-time F1 drivers' champion joining the Brackley squad over Aston Martin because it has "stability" and a likely power unit advantage when the F1 regulations change at the end of the year.

Having recently locked Oscar Piastri into a long-term deal, combined with Lando Norris' existing contract, the American has not directly have skin in the game, despite reports ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix that Brown did enquire about Verstappen's situation during the 2024 campaign.

"Oh I think he’ll leave at the end of this year,” Brown told The Telegraph. "Most likely to Merc [Mercedes].

"There’s been talk of Aston Martin, too, with Adrian Newey joining. But as great as Adrian is – and he’s the greatest ever – you need a whole team around you. You need the culture. That takes time.

"If I was betting, I’d bet on Merc. In the last 10 years, they’ve won the championship seven or eight times. Last year they won five [four] races. They have stability.

"We know Toto [Wolff] likes him. And I think we all feel HPP [Mercedes High Performance Powertrains] is best-equipped on the power unit side heading into the new engine regulations next year."

Bad news for George Russell?

The American's comments appear to be a thinly-veiled attempt to disrupt not only Red Bull, but also Mercedes - two of McLaren's closest rivals in F1.

Verstappen is locked into his contract with the Milton Keynes squad until 2028, but team principal Christian Horner has always been clear he would not stand in his driver's way if he did seek out the exit door.

Meanwhile, George Russell's current deal expires at the end of the year, but will want to stay with the eight-time constructors' champions.

Kimi Antonelli, just one race into his F1 career, will be on short-term contracts - but Toto Wolff is unlikely to want to part with his talented young protégé.

Brown added: "Plus, George [Russell] is out of contract at the end of this season and Kimi [Antonelli] will be on a series of one-years."

Do you think Max Verstappen will leave Red Bull at the end of the F1 season, and if so, where will he go? Let us know voting below in the latest RacingNews365 poll and by leaving a comment.