McLaren F1 champion urges team to not 'rock the boat' with Max Verstappen signing

Verstappen, Norris, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

McLaren F1

McLaren F1 champion urges team to not 'rock the boat' with Max Verstappen signing

McLaren have been strongly linked with signing the Dutchman

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 5 August 2026 13:57

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Double F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen has warned his old team McLaren about the dangers of signing Max Verstappen.

The papaya squad have been the team most closely linked with the Dutch superstar, whose long-term future at Red Bull has been called into question in recent months.

Verstappen has so far not been given a car capable of challenging for championships by his Red Bull team in 2026, and his manager Raymond Vermeulen recently revealed that there are performance-based exit clauses in his current contract, which runs until the end of 2028.

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On top of this, McLaren have already signed Verstappen's close ally and long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, who will join the team no later than 2028.

That has been rumoured to be a ploy by McLaren to encourage Verstappen to join them, rather than Mercedes.

All parties have rubbished the rumours so far, while Verstappen has remained tight-lipped on his future beyond the end of this season, but the initial reports suggested that it would be Oscar Piastri who would make way for Verstappen.

That would leave a mouthwatering potential driver lineup of reigning 2025 champion Lando Norris and four-time king Verstappen.

Now Hakkinen - who won both his championships with McLaren in 1998 and 1999 - has given his thoughts on the rumoured signing of Verstappen.

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Would Verstappen signing 'rock the boat' at McLaren?

Speaking on the Up to Speed podcast, David Coulthard asked former team-mate Hakkinen whether he would put Norris and Verstappen together if he were a team principal.

"It’s very interesting, you know, it's not only Max out there, of course," Hakkinen said.

"There are many other drivers. But what I have seen how McLaren operates, they want to really look at the overall team package, you know, all the time. And because that's the only way to achieve success - is to build incredible team spirit power inside.

"And you try to sometimes, in my opinion, I would, if you would ask me what I would do, I would like to minimise that risk. That way you lose this kind of team spirit.

"You know, if the team has two great drivers, why rock the boat? And of course, McLaren having a world champion. And look, we were the longest team-mates in F1. We were the longest team-mates, and that indicates that if there's a good harmony inside in a team, why to have somebody else?

"And well, you were sometimes difficult, David, but you know, I was able to handle it."

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