The Verstappen soap opera is revived: they place him closer than ever to McLaren

Max Verstappen He is the man everyone looks at. Unfortunately for the four-time champion it is not because of the results on the court, which are far from what was expected, but because the Dutchman could be the one to open the season in the transfer market with a move that few could have imagined a year ago. And the fact is that its possible landing in McLaren. What’s more, according to Planet F1, Verstappen would have already decided on the Woking team in case ‘Mad Max’ decided to leave Red Bull.

After another retirement at Silverstone, it is mathematically impossible for Verstappen to be among the top two in the championship when the summer break arrives. This means that the release clause could apply and break his current contract with Red Bull, which ties him to the Austrians until 2028. According to the aforementioned media, the energy drink brand tried to buy this clause but Max refused to have free rein to decide his future.

According to this information, Verstappen would have decided on McLaren, they would be in the final phases of negotiations to close the signing and join in 2027. It would be a bombshell that would blow up the current market. Mercedes seemed the most reasonable option given last year’s rumors. However, the latest information arriving from Italy indicated that Toto Wolff would have closed the door on him, even lowering his salary to 50 million euros.

Thus, after fighting until the end of last season for the crown against those from Woking, it is possible that two years later we will see Verstappen defending the ‘papaya’ of the British.

The question is what would happen to the McLaren drivers. Lando Norris He is Zak Brown’s great protégé and won the title last season. Therefore, it is difficult to think about his exit. I would have more numbers Oscar Piastri that last season ended up disappointing when he had everything in his sights to win the title halfway through the year.

“I think we have a unique environment, but that is something that all racing teams share. However, we have a great team that has had a lot of success, and I think it is a good place to work, whether you are a racing driver, team manager, mechanic or any other figure within the McLaren team,” Brown said in statements to Planet F1 when asked what Verstappen could find in his team that he would miss in his current situation.