Verstappen's father accuses McLaren CEO of 'stirring'

Mar.20 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father has accused McLaren CEO Zak Brown of trying to “stir sh*it”.

In a new interview with London’s Telegraph newspaper, Brown admitted that he thinks the quadruple world champion will leave Red Bull at the end of the year.

“Most likely to Merc,” said the American, referring to Mercedes.

“There’s been talk of Aston Martin, too, with Adrian Newey joining. If I was betting, I’d bet on Merc.

“In the last 10 years, they’ve won the championship seven or eight times. They have stability. We know Toto likes him. And I think we all feel HPP is best-equipped on the power unit side heading into the new engine regulations next year,” added Brown.

On an Instagram post summarising Brown’s comments, Jos Verstappen quipped: “He only is trying to stir sh*it”.

Brown also revealed recently that he reached out to Verstappen’s management team to “explore the market”, later explaining that he speaks with most drivers as well.

But it is clear that there is no love lost between Brown and Red Bull – with team boss Christian Horner calling the McLaren CEO a “pr*ck” in the latest edition of Drive To Survive.

Brown told the Telegraph that the animus is “genuine”.

“There’s no love lost there. I don’t like how he rolls and no doubt he feels the same about me,” he admitted.

“But I think it’s good for the sport. You need different characters. You need these rivalries. Some are friendly, sporting rivalries. Some are a bit more vicious. It’s always been like that.”