F1 News: Max Verstappen to McLaren latest as insider says one key fact will decide megadeal

Brown and Verstappen at McLaren — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen to McLaren latest as insider says one key fact will decide F1 megadeal

Verstappen has been linked with McLaren and Mercedes

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Tuesday 28 April 2026 20:25 Updated: 21:18

Former F1 driver and now analyst Marc Surer believes Max Verstappen will shun the opportunity to join McLaren, for one major reason.

The 28-year-old four-time world champion is frustrated at Red Bull after a miserable start to the 2026 season. He is deeply unimpressed by the new regulations which have swept into the sport, and also has an underperforming car to contend with.

Verstappen currently sits ninth in the championship standings after three races - with reports suggesting an exit clause in his contract will become active should he be outside the top two by the time of the summer break.

Article continues under video

Right now that appears a very likely scenario, which would kick off one of the biggest auctions in F1 history should Verstappen want to test the market.

Max has been strongly linked with Mercedes during the past 12 months, while McLaren are now also said to be in the race. That line has been strengthened by Verstappen's long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase agreeing to move to the team in papaya as Chief Racing Officer from 2028.

F1 HEADLINES: Aston Martin questioned over Newey decision as star admits ‘not doing enough’

Would Max Verstappen join McLaren?

Surer though believes McLaren are very much the outsiders in any Verstappen race, pinpointing one major factor which would push him towards Mercedes instead.

“Right now, everything points to Mercedes,” he told Total-Motorsport when asked about Lambiase’s move.

“Why would he opt for a customer team?” he added, noting that while McLaren looks like the closest challenger to the Silver Arrows in 2026, the team still relies on Mercedes power units.

Praise for papaya team, but it's not enough

Surer is impressed by what Zak Brown Andrea Stella and co have achieved with the iconic Woking team, but he keeps coming back to that one major blocker.

“Look, McLaren has been exceptional over the past two years. They’ve done an impressive job - even with a customer engine, they’ve managed to perform at the highest level. However, especially with the new regulations coming in, a factory team simply makes more sense."

Verstappen will resume his 2026 season this weekend at the Miami Grand Prix after an enforced five-week hiatus brought about by the cancellations of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Red Bull, like McLaren and their rivals, are expected to arrive in south Florida having used the break to prepare major upgrades. We will know soon enough whether those upgrades are sufficient to keep Verstappen happy in Milton Keynes.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Mercedes McLaren