Zak Brown names McLaren driver plan amid bombshell Max Verstappen rumours

Zak Brown has appeared to shut the door on a potential bombshell McLaren move for Max Verstappen, saying the team is not "in the market" for a new driver.

Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri remain under contract with McLaren for the long-term, but ahead of last weekend's Austrian GP, reports emerged that Verstappen was in talks over a potential bombshell swap with Piastri. 

"If, for some strange reason, someone slipped on a banana peel getting out of the tub, then yeah, of course, Max is a four-time world champion," Brown told Sky Sports F1 over the Austrian GP weekend. 

Verstappen does have a break clause in his contract for 2027, which can be triggered if he is not in the top two in the drivers' championship by the summer break, but has limited options for 2027 if he does leave.

Mercedes has appeared to confirm that George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will continue, there is no room at Ferrari, leaving McLaren as the only potential alternative. 

However, Brown has now appeared to close that avenue for the four-time champion. 

"We have two awesome racing drivers in Lando and Oscar, and you're going to see them in our race cars for a long, long time," Brown first told The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X.

Continuing his tour of UK radio in the build-up to the British Grand Prix, Brown then appeared on Heart Breakfast, with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden. 

"We're a hot team, and a great place to be. We've got two awesome drivers in Lando and Oscar, so there is no intention of seeing any different lineup," he said. 

"But it is flattering, and the phone rings often, and [Verstappen] is a massive talent, so we'll see what the future holds, what he ends up doing. 

"But I know what our plan is – it’s keep going with what we got."

When pushed on not fully denying interest in Verstappen, Brown confirmed that McLaren was "not in the market."

"Well, I think anytime you're in sport, you’ve got to kind of know what the market's doing, but we're not in the market," he said.

"So, we need to pay attention, because you never know. But Lando and Oscar won 14 races for us last year, and I'm looking forward to the next 14."