McLaren CEO Zak Brown has never dared to rule out Max Verstappen for the world title. He recently stated this in a podcast. Even after the summer break, when Oscar Piastri still had a lead of 104 points, the American did not dare to assume that the driver’s title would go to Woking. According to Brown, Verstappen has the qualities of a horror character; no matter how often he is defeated, he always comes back.
In the run-up to the GP of Qatar, Brown was a guest on the Sports Agents podcast, where he spoke about the thrilling title fight between Verstappen and the two McLaren drivers. The Dutchman has made an impressive rise in recent months. Partly thanks to the disqualification of both McLarens during the GP of Las Vegas, Verstappen is now tied for second place in the championship. Lando Norris leads – with only two Grands Prix to go – with a mere 24-point lead.
‘It was never a foregone conclusion’
“He (Verstappen) is like those guys in horror movies,” joked Brown. “Just when you think he can’t come back, he’s suddenly back again.” The McLaren CEO wanted to emphasize that you should never write off the Dutchman. He also had high praise for the four-time world champion. “Verstappen is an incredible talent,” said Brown. “He never makes mistakes. He seizes every opportunity. We never thought he was out. When we had, I believe, a lead of 104 points, people thought: ‘Oh, this is a done deal.’ But we never thought that. And look where we are now.”
Zak Brown previously expressed criticism of Verstappen. In the run-up to the race weekend in Las Vegas, he made some spicy comments about the Red Bull driver. “I don’t want to belittle Max,” he told The Telegraph. “After all, he is a four-time world champion. But he can be a brawler. Then his arrogance comes out and he is too aggressive on the track.” Brown later nuanced these words. “I called him a fighter, but that’s actually a compliment,” he clarified. “That’s what I call Ayrton Senna, and he’s my favorite driver of all time.” According to Brown, his comments were ‘taken out of context’ and he personally informed Verstappen about this.
