McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has revealed that he would be happy to work with Max Verstappen in the future, in a racing series away from Formula One. The four-time world champion secured his Permit A licence recently, which allows him to compete in the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Brown is interested in having Verstappen as his teammate in endurance racing. The revelation arrives months after the Red Bull driver set a new unofficial lap record at the Nürburgring, under the name Franz Hermann.
While Verstappen’s chances of securing a fifth championship title this season are close to nil, he has been taking steps towards the world of GT racing and could potentially switch to the racing series after the conclusion of his Red Bull contract at the end of 2028. Brown told De Telegraaf about his wish to race with the Dutchman in the future. He said:
“I would love to have Max as my teammate in endurance racing, because he recently showed how fast he is there too, under a pseudonym, on the Nordschleife.”
Brown praised Verstappen, saying he is a multi-world champion, and kept open the option of working with him in the future. He added:
“Max is a great driver, a four-time champion for good reason.
“In any case, it’s a pleasure for me to work with all the drivers in the McLaren programme. And with Max? Who knows, maybe one day…”
Brown is the second team boss, after Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, to publicly reveal the desire to work with Verstappen in recent months. Wolff’s reported talks with Verstappen for a potential move to his team in F1 made headlines ahead of the summer break, while George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s contract extensions were kept on hold for the same reason. Both drivers are yet to sign an extension, as their contracts expire after the current season.
Verstappen, however, pledged his loyalty to Red Bull, confirming that he has no plans to switch teams for the 2026 season. Speaking on securing his DMSB Nordschleife Permit Grade A in a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS, Verstappen said:
“I’m happy it all went smooth, and I got my DMSB Permit Nordschleife.
“I really enjoyed myself, but that’s always the case around here. It was good to drive stints in the race with traffic, both with faster and slower cars.
“There was also a ‘code 60’ race neutralisation, double waved yellows and a standard yellow flag. I drove in the wet, the dry and in mixed conditions.
“I’ve gained experience in where the grip is and isn’t and completed a start procedure. It was really good to gain more experience on this circuit.”
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