McLaren boss shares the text he sent to Max Verstappen after ‘who is Zak Brown’ jibe

McLaren have officially beaten Red Bull in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship. Zak Brown will see that as a definitive victory in their developing rivalry.

After the Qatar GP, McLaren are 59 points clear of Red Bull. They only increased their advantage by six points, but that was enough to take the title holders out of contention.

There are only 43 on offer in Abu Dhabi this weekend, with McLaren set to battle Ferrari for the crown. 21 points separate them, but the mid-race chaos at Lusail shows that the lead isn’t safe.

Christian Horner will feel Red Bull won the more meaningful of the two championships. Max Verstappen prevailed in his fight with Lando Norris, confirming his victory with two races to spare at the Las Vegas GP.

Horner’s relationship with Brown has deteriorated over the course of the year. The spark was the collision between the two drivers at the Austrian GP back in June.

Ted Kravitz says McLaren’s rivalry with Red Bull ‘exploded’ after Brown ‘went for’ Horner in a press conference a week later at Silverstone. But he did note that the American was ‘very careful’ not to criticise Verstappen himself.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown took Max Verstappen’s jibe in good spirits

Speaking to outlets including RacingNews365 NL at the British GP, Verstappen jokingly asked ‘who is Zak Brown‘. He had predictably leapt to his driver’s defence after the Austria contact, which left Norris with terminal damage and saw the world champion penalised.

Rather than being offended, Brown issued a light-hearted response. In an interview with De Telegraaf, he revealed that he played along with Verstappen’s joke.

Toto Wolff also has a good relationship with Verstappen, but there’s an extra layer in that particular case. The Mercedes boss is trying to sign the Dutchman for 2026, something that won’t be a consideration for Brown.

“Do you remember Max saying in Silverstone: ‘Who is Zak Brown?’,” he recalled. “I sent him a funny message and said: ‘I want to introduce myself, you may not know me, but I manage McLaren’.”

Why Zak Brown has more respect for Ferrari than he does for Red Bull

Verstappen taunted Brown on live TV after winning the title in Vegas. He recalled that the 53-year-old had said he could only win the title in the fastest car.

But mutual respect remains. Verstappen knows he’s up against a resurgent force with a record that demands respect, and Brown knows he’s facing an all-time great.

He’ll take great satisfaction in ending Red Bull’s constructors’ reign. Brown says he has more respect for Ferrari than he does for Horner’s squad, partly because of their iconic status, but also because he clearly doesn’t like the way the Englishman runs his team.

The next step is to develop Norris into a driver who can defeat Verstappen. The coming winter will be a defining period in the course of the 25-year-old’s career.