Zak Brown reveals how far Max Verstappen talks went over sensational McLaren switch

Zak Brown has again poured cold water on speculation linking Max Verstappen with a move to McLaren, insisting at Silverstone that discussions "didn't go anywhere" between his team and the four-time F1 drivers' champion's camp.

Rumours around the Dutchman's future have intensified over recent weeks, with reports emerging around the Austrian Grand Prix that the 28-year-old's management had engaged in preliminary talks with McLaren over a potential switch for the 2027 F1 season.

Verstappen sits seventh in the 2026 Drivers' Championship on 73 points, a position that could activate a reported performance-related exit clause in his Red Bull contract, enabling him to leave before the deal's 2028 expiry.

At Spielberg, Brown joked that only an extraordinary scenario would create a vacancy. "If for some strange reason someone slipped on a banana peel getting out of the tub, then yeah, of course, Max is a four-time world champion," he said, while stressing he had "two awesome racing drivers" and no intention of changing his line-up.

Asked directly at the FIA team representatives' press conference ahead of the British Grand Prix about whether he had held talks with Verstappen's camp, Brown was unequivocal.

"They're rumours? No conversations," the American told media, including RacingNews365.

He then briefly steered the discussion away with a characteristic touch of humour: "I usually don't talk about my dinners, but last night I had dinner with Nigel Mansell, which was really cool. He's won this race [the British Grand Prix] a bunch."

Getting back on topic to answer seriously, he added: "I'm very happy with my two racing drivers, Lando and Oscar, and I think any time a name like Max is thrown around everyone gets pretty excited. Four-time World Champion, but very happy with our driver line-up."

When it was put to him that if a move were to happen, it would not happen any time soon, Brown promptly replied: "Correct."

Verstappen himself has refused to engage substantively with the rumours. At Silverstone, the Red Bull driver said he would not "involve myself in that," adding: "If there's something new or something that changes, you will hear it from me, not from someone else writing it."

Brown's final word on the matter at the press conference left little room for ambiguity when asked how serious the reported talks were.

"They didn't go anywhere," the McLaren Racing CEO responded. "I've got my two drivers, so there's nothing to report."