Brown expects strong Mercedes in '26: 'I'd rather Verstappen stayed at Red Bull'

Not so long ago, Zak Brown made a phone call to Raymond Vermeulen, Max Verstappen's manager. The question was what the contract situation of the four-time world champion was.

"It is my job to explore the market and to know what is going on," Brown explains in an interview with De Telegraaf. In the meantime, the CEO was negotiating with his own driver Oscar Piastri about a contract extension.

McLaren has signed Piastri for a longer period, alongside Lando Norris, and is therefore provisional. It is not a given that Verstappen will remain at Red Bull. "If you ask me now and if I look at the current situation, I would rather see Max driving at Red Bull than at Mercedes," says Brown.

The reason for this is simple. According to the American, Mercedes has its affairs in order for 2026 and the immediate future, unlike Red Bull, so Verstappen at the Austrian team is advantageous for McLaren - which will continue to use a Mercedes power unit. Of course, Brown is also not one hundred percent sure what the balance of power in Formula 1 will be.

Without mentioning the name of the team, Brown then points to Red Bull, who are starting production and development of their own Power Units with Red Bull Powertrains. “There are a lot of parties who want the engine regulations to be changed recently. If you think you are competitive, you don’t want to change anything.”