McLaren claim door 'wide open' for Max Verstappen: 'I hate racing against him'

Zak Brown has said the door remains "wide open" for Max Verstappen to join McLaren in future, even after his new Red Bull deal.

Verstappen signed a contract extension with Red Bull in August, ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, committing him to the Milton Keynes-based team through the end of 2030.

The move ended months of speculation over his future, with the Dutchman having admitted he was so unsettled earlier in the campaign that he told team principal Laurent Mekies not to raise the subject at all.

Mercedes had long been viewed as the frontrunner for Verstappen's signature, but McLaren emerged as the more concrete alternative as this season progressed, with reports suggesting Oscar Piastri could make way if the four-time F1 drivers' champion became available.

Brown has now shed more light on the situation, telling De Telegraaf that he met Verstappen for a series of conversations last summer purely to get to know him better.

"I spoke to Max a few times last summer. Just because I wanted to get to know him better," said Brown. "If I could use one word to describe him right now, it would be a word that hadn't occurred to me before those conversations. Namely: charming.

"I bet no one who doesn't know him well would characterise him that way. But I am genuinely impressed by him. A racer through and through."

Brown: 'I hate racing against' Verstappen

The McLaren Racing CEO went on to compare Verstappen's attention to detail with that of Fernando Alonso, another driver he has worked closely with.

"I found his focus and the way he looks at motorsport, from a driver's perspective, very impressive," Brown recalled. "You can see that in how busy Max is with the GT3 program and how technically proficient he is.

"Fernando had that too. I remember when we did the Indy 500 with him. We were on the plane, and I ordered a glass of wine. Fernando was just staring at his screen. Do you know what he was watching? Camera footage from the car of a previous edition of the Indy 500, for 200 laps. That must be the most boring thing there is. But Fernando didn't want to leave anything to chance."

Brown was quick to stress, however, that the talks were never about prising Verstappen away from Piastri and Lando Norris, both of whom he insists remain firmly in his plans.

"And I am really happy and satisfied with my current line-up," Brown added. "The conversations were more exploratory, basically to get to know each other better. Because you never know what the future holds.

"But I was much more impressed by him as an individual than I had expected. I feel like: I can really race with this guy. Because I hate racing against him."

Brown's stance echoes comments he made earlier this year dismissing any suggestion that Piastri or Norris might be moved aside, insisting both are "very happy" at Woking and that McLaren is equally happy with them.

Piastri himself has said the rumours meant little to him, citing repeated reassurances from the team over his long-term future.

Despite Verstappen's fresh commitment to Red Bull through 2030, Brown made clear the conversation is far from closed for good.

"The door is still wide open for Max," he said. "For 2028, 2029, or any year, for that matter. I enjoyed getting to know him better and would love to work with him someday."