Zak Brown has shut down the prospect of Max Verstappen joining the McLaren Formula 1 team and has predicted he will end up signing for Mercedes.

Questions remain over the future of Verstappen after the four-time world champion dropped the sensational bombshell after the Japanese Grand Prix that he could walk away from F1 at the end of the season due to his dislike of the 2026 regulations.

In an enforced break that has seen F1 introduce revised rules in a bid to fix the 2026 problems, it was also announced that Verstappen’s long-serving Red Bull race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will join McLaren in 2028.

Lambiase’s impending departure to McLaren has led to suggestions that Verstappen could follow his ally in jumping ship, particularly after Red Bull’s difficult start to the season that has seen the 28-year-old Dutchman finish no higher than sixth in the opening three races.

But McLaren CEO Brown has poured cold water on the possibility of poaching Verstappen, insisting he is delighted with his current driver line-up of reigning world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

“From McLaren’s point of view, I couldn’t be happier with Lando [Norris] and Oscar [Piastri],” Brown told Sky Sports F1.

“We have long-term agreements with them, and I think it’s the greatest driver pairing on and off the track. So we have no intention of replacing any of our two superstars.

“Obviously, if one were to go away, then yeah, Max is a huge talent, but I’m not anticipating that.

“Where might he go? If I had to bet, I’d say to Mercedes.”

The McLaren pair reacted to Verstappen’s F1 quit threat while speaking to media including Crash.net on Wednesday.

“I think it would be a shame for the sport to lose Max, especially at this point in his career as well. I think it would be a big loss for the sport as a whole,” Piastri said.

“I think for us as drivers, we want to race against the best and try and prove ourselves against the best.

“Max has shown his calibre in the last 10 years, and I think especially in the last five or six, he’s been the benchmark.

“So, I think for everyone it would be a pretty big shame and obviously not a great look.”

Meanwhile, Norris said: “Max has earned the right to go and do whatever he wants. He’s won four world championships, and he’s always been that guy.

“He probably is one of the best drivers you’ll see in Formula 1 ever.

“It would be a shame for us because I think, as much as he makes our lives incredibly tough at times, he’s always good fun to race against. And it’s always cool to race against someone that’s won four world championships. It would be a loss for the sport.

“Hopefully things get better. And I also saw he said he wants to win a fifth world championship at the minute. So, you know, I’m sure he’ll stay longer than people say.”

Zak Brown has shut down the prospect of Max Verstappen joining the McLaren Formula 1 team and has predicted he will end up signing for Mercedes.

Questions remain over the future of Verstappen after the four-time world champion dropped the sensational bombshell after the Japanese Grand Prix that he could walk away from F1 at the end of the season due to his dislike of the 2026 regulations.

In an enforced break that has seen F1 introduce revised rules in a bid to fix the 2026 problems, it was also announced that Verstappen’s long-serving Red Bull race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will join McLaren in 2028.

Lambiase’s impending departure to McLaren has led to suggestions that Verstappen could follow his ally in jumping ship, particularly after Red Bull’s difficult start to the season that has seen the 28-year-old Dutchman finish no higher than sixth in the opening three races.

But McLaren CEO Brown has poured cold water on the possibility of poaching Verstappen, insisting he is delighted with his current driver line-up of reigning world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

“From McLaren’s point of view, I couldn’t be happier with Lando [Norris] and Oscar [Piastri],” Brown told Sky Sports F1.

“We have long-term agreements with them, and I think it’s the greatest driver pairing on and off the track. So we have no intention of replacing any of our two superstars.

“Obviously, if one were to go away, then yeah, Max is a huge talent, but I’m not anticipating that.

“Where might he go? If I had to bet, I’d say to Mercedes.”

The McLaren pair reacted to Verstappen’s F1 quit threat while speaking to media including Crash.net on Wednesday.

“I think it would be a shame for the sport to lose Max, especially at this point in his career as well. I think it would be a big loss for the sport as a whole,” Piastri said.

“I think for us as drivers, we want to race against the best and try and prove ourselves against the best.

“Max has shown his calibre in the last 10 years, and I think especially in the last five or six, he’s been the benchmark.

“So, I think for everyone it would be a pretty big shame and obviously not a great look.”

Meanwhile, Norris said: “Max has earned the right to go and do whatever he wants. He’s won four world championships, and he’s always been that guy.

“He probably is one of the best drivers you’ll see in Formula 1 ever.

“It would be a shame for us because I think, as much as he makes our lives incredibly tough at times, he’s always good fun to race against. And it’s always cool to race against someone that’s won four world championships. It would be a loss for the sport.

“Hopefully things get better. And I also saw he said he wants to win a fifth world championship at the minute. So, you know, I’m sure he’ll stay longer than people say.”