McLaren firmly shuts door on possible Max Verstappen swoop

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has offered a clear stance on whether the British outfit is considering a swoop for Max Verstappen, firmly shutting the door on the possibility.

Verstappen's future is currently a major talking point in the Formula 1 paddock, with the Dutchman having indicated that he could leave the sport should changes to the regulations not be made.

The four-time world champion has stated that, unless F1 moves to a 60/40 power unit split in favour of internal combustion in 2027, he will leave.

Despite this, Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028 and revealed on media day ahead of this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix that he has no interest in signing an extension anytime soon.

Verstappen is set to lose his long-time race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, to McLaren at the end of next year, raising questions over whether the Dutchman could follow him.

However, with Lando Norris contracted until the end of 2027 and Oscar Piastri until the end of 2028, Brown has stressed that there is no room at the Woking-based team for Verstappen.

Asked if Verstappen could move to McLaren, Brown told select media including RacingNews365: "We're very happy with our driver lineup. 

"I've stated that for a couple of years, so I don't see any opportunity at the moment here at McLaren.

"He's obviously an awesome talent, but we've got two drivers who work extremely well together.

 Both won seven races last year; one became world champion, and the other was, I think, one third-place finish away from becoming world champion. So, we're very, very happy with the driver lineup."