Verstappen responds to the dropped Red Bull bomb by McLaren CEO: “Of course he wants to stoke the fire”

Max Verstappen has responded to Zak Brown’s statements. The McLaren CEO said earlier this weekend that Adrian Newey’s departure is just the first domino to fall at Red Bull Racing, with the team’s CVs flying around.

Red Bull Racing announced earlier this week what had been in the air for some time: Adrian Newey is leaving the Austrian formation. The top designer will still focus on completing the development of Red Bull’s first hypercar, the RB17, but will no longer be involved in work within the Formula 1 team. However, he will still be present at a number of races this season, after which he will officially leave in the first quarter of 2025. The exact reason behind this decision is unknown, but it is thought that it has to do with the turbulent situation within Red Bull Racing.

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The first domino within Red Bull Racing

Zak Brown also holds this opinion. The McLaren CEO hit out at Red Bull Racing earlier this weekend: “Given everything that has happened since the start of the year… I know Adrian quite well, he is a person of very high integrity. I am not surprised [door het vertrek, red.]”, it sounded. Brown then dropped a bomb and said that Newey’s departure is only the beginning. He predicted an exodus at the Austrian racing stable and based this on the fact that the CVs of the Red Bull staff are now “flying around” in the paddock. “I think the things that happen there are quite destabilizing. It’s probably the first domino to fall. I don’t think it will be the last, given the CVs flying around.”

Verstappen responds to Brown

These statements have also reached Max Verstappen, although the Dutchman explains that he does not pay attention to this kind of ‘gossip’: “Of course he wants to stoke the fire,” the three-time world champion is quoted by The Telegraph. “As a team we can’t do anything with that, but from his side I understand it. Everyone pulls on our people, that is very normal. I try not to worry about it too much. I see the headline of such a message and then don’t even click on it.”

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