Max Verstappen predicted to leave Red Bull as Zak Brown bets on Brackley

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has argued that four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen will leave Red Bull at the end of this year and will most likely move to Mercedes.

After Red Bull began encountering issues with the RB20, rumours began to spread that the Dutchman could be looking to jump ship. Adrian Newey's Red Bull exit, which was announced ahead of the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, added to the speculation as he made a move to Aston Martin. During an interview with the Telegraph, Brown predicted that the reigning champion will leave the Milton Keynes outfit at the end of this year. He explained:

“Oh I think he’ll leave at the end of this year,” Brown says. “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 races. They have stability. We know Toto 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.

“Plus, George [Russell] is out of contract at the end of this season and Kimi [Antonelli, Mercedes’s new 18-year-old rookie driver] will be on a series of one-years.”

Despite the noise surrounding a potential exit, Red Bull team chief Christian Horner has consistently shut down the rumours. Addressing the questions about Verstappen's future after Newey's announcement, Horner retaliated:

“You report those rumblings every week but he’s still here. Look, Max is very happy in the team, he’s got a wonderful group of engineers around him, he’s got a great car, he’s in the best car on the grid, he’s driving in the form of his life.

Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

“It’s not about contracts, it’s about being content, and I think that’s the same for any driver. He has that, he has that dynamic around him, and I think what you’re seeing with him is a driver that’s revelling in that environment."

He added:

“No. I mean Max’s contract is obviously always going to remain confidential, but there’s no clauses with Adrian that link Adrian in any way to Max.

“They’ve enjoyed a good relationship over the years, as have our previous drivers, but Max as well understands that there’s been a planning process to this and it’s not just a knee-jerk [reaction], so the structure will not change with Adrian stepping back.”