McLaren issued 'rock the boat' advice over Max Verstappen signing

McLaren has been warned against the temptation of signing Max Verstappen, with the team urged not to “rock the boat” by disrupting its current driver line-up.

The warning comes from Mika Hakkinen, one of McLaren's most successful drivers, who won two Formula 1 world championships with the Woking-based outfit in the late 1990s.

Verstappen's future remains uncertain as Formula 1 enters its summer break, with a performance-related exit clause in his Red Bull contract now understood to be active.

The four-time world champion was long linked with a move to Mercedes, but in recent months speculation has increasingly centred on a potential switch to McLaren.

However, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri forming one of the grid's strongest driver pairings since 2023, Hakkinen believes there is no reason for McLaren to jeopardise the harmony it has built.

“It’s very interesting,” Hakkinen told Up To Speed. “It's not only Max out there, of course. There are many other drivers. 

“But what I have seen how McLaren operates, they want to really look at the overall team package, you know, all the time. 

“Because that's the only way to achieve success – is to build incredible team spirit power inside. 

“And you try to sometimes, in my opinion, I would, if you would ask me what I would do, I would like to minimise that risk. 

“That way you lose this kind of team spirit. You know, if the team has two great drivers, why rock the boat?”

Hakkinen's comments came while speaking to David Coulthard, with whom he shared a long partnership at McLaren some 30 years ago.

The two-time champion pointed to his long-standing relationship with the Scotsman, insisting he understands the importance of having minimal disruption.

“McLaren have a world champion [Norris],” he said. “And look, we were the longest team-mates in Formula 1. 

“We were the longest teammates, and that indicates that if there's a good harmony inside in a team, why to have somebody else?”