Zak Brown clarifies Max Verstappen stance after brutal live TV jab

McLaren boss Zak Brown does not believe Max Verstappen’s success is dependent on having the fastest car, with Verstappen having flagged up previous comments from Brown in Las Vegas.

After a dominant start to F1 2024, Verstappen winning four of the opening five races, McLaren and Lando Norris emerged as a threat to the Dutchman’s pursuit of a fourth World Championship in a row, a threat which Verstappen officially silenced in Las Vegas by securing that fourth successive crown.

Zak Brown: Max Verstappen could win in third-quickest car

And it was back in May – after Verstappen had won four out of five races to start the season – when Brown claimed that the Dutchman needed to be in that Red Bull RB20 to win the title.

“I don’t think without a star driver, you’re going to win, so you need both,” he said on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

“First, it does start with the car. People ask me all the time: ‘is it car or driver?’ And it’s like: ‘well, it’s both’.

“I think the way I characterise it is, I think there are six, seven drivers on the grid that will be World Champions in the Red Bull.

“As great as Max is, and he’s one of the best ever, I don’t think Max wins the World Championship today in any other car other than the Red Bull.”

Verstappen took that as Brown saying he could not win without the fastest car, and it turned into a brutal live TV quip as Brown gatecrashed a Las Vegas GP interview to offer Verstappen his congratulations.

Verstappen, embracing a hug and wearing a smile, said to Brown: “And like you said, before I could only win it in the fastest car. This year has been a little bit different.”

Brown took it all in good spirits and in a recent appearance on the Business of Sport podcast, clarified his opinion on Verstappen.

While he maintains that the car and driver combination are absolutely vital, Verstappen does not necessarily need the undisputed fastest car to deliver.

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“If Max was in a car that’s not capable of winning, he’ll get a little bit more out of it because of how awesome he is,” said Brown.

“But he’s not going to take a car that’s 15th and win in it.

“He might be able to take a car that’s third-quickest and win it. But you’ve got to have the car, then you also have to have the driver.”

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