Max Verstappen to McLaren tease dropped by Zak Brown amid Nordschleife heroics

With Max Verstappen having only further demonstrated his immense racing talents around the Nurgburgring Nordschleife, Zak Brown quipped that the Dutchman can expect a call if he ever needs an endurance racing teammate.

But on a more serious note, Brown left the door open to Verstappen one day joining him within the McLaren fold.

Zak Brown on working with Max Verstappen: ‘Maybe one day’

Having reeled off four consecutive World Championships between 2021-24, Verstappen has established himself as one of the greatest talents Formula 1 has seen. His victory last time out at Monza – snapping the McLaren dominance – only further highlighted his immense ability.

Away from the Formula 1 track, Verstappen has also been successfully sampling GT machinery. After setting a new lap record around the iconic Nurgburgring Nordschleife circuit, under his ‘Franz Hermann’ alias, Verstappen was back in the break between Monza and Baku.

Verstappen has since bagged his Permit A licence which will allow him to compete in the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours.

Speaking with De Telegraaf, McLaren Racing CEO Brown quipped: “I would love to have Max as my teammate in endurance racing, because he recently showed how fast he is there too, under a pseudonym, on the Nordschleife.”

But, switching gears, Brown left the door open to the idea of he and Verstappen becoming McLaren colleagues one day.

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While Verstappen has reaffirmed his Red Bull commitment for 2026, silencing fresh Mercedes and Aston Martin links, Red Bull may face renewed speculation over the future of their star driver if their 2026 campaign does not go to plan.

New chassis and engine regulations are on the way, meaning the potential for major shifts in the pecking order. The fact that Red Bull are developing their first F1 engine for this new era, adds to the challenge for a team which has won 14 world titles.

McLaren has established itself as F1’s current leading force, the papaya team marching towards the 2025 title double.

A Verstappen and McLaren partnership would not necessarily need to be an F1 thing. Verstappen has regularly suggested that he will not be sticking around in the series much longer, and McLaren will return to the World Endurance Championship Hypercar class in 2027, creating an alternate potential route to unite with Verstappen.

“Max is a great driver, a four-time champion for good reason,” said Brown

“In any case, it’s a pleasure for me to work with all the drivers in the McLaren programme. And with Max? Who knows, maybe one day…”

Reacting to his Permit A-bagging Nordschleife experience, Verstappen told his personal website: “I’m happy it all went smooth, and I got my DMSB Permit Nordschleife.

“I really enjoyed myself, but that’s always the case around here. It was good to drive stints in the race with traffic, both with faster and slower cars.

“There was also a ‘code 60’ race neutralisation, double waved yellows and a standard yellow flag. I drove in the wet, the dry and in mixed conditions.

‘I’ve gained experience in where the grip is and isn’t and completed a start procedure. It was really good to gain more experience on this circuit.

“It’s challenging and today we saw that some parts of the track were dry and other parts wet. The track surface also differs around the circuit, which makes it difficult to string a lap together, but it’s also what makes it special.

“To contest a 24-hour race here, in a GT3 car, would be amazing.”

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