It's obvious Verstappen lives in Zak Brown's head rent-free

(GMM) As the title fight reaches a decisive phase in Las Vegas, fresh excerpts from Zak Brown’s (pictured) upcoming book have reignited his long-running criticism of Max Verstappen’s influence inside Red Bull.

Just days after telling The Telegraph that Verstappen can be “a bully” whose “arrogance comes out” on track, the McLaren CEO takes aim again in Seven Tenths Of A Second.

“The other example is Max Verstappen’s rule at Red Bull. I say ‘rule’ on purpose,” Brown writes.

“Sometimes, it actually feels like Max is running the team. Everyone seems to be subservient to him. Everyone seems to be afraid of him.”

Brown alleges the car is tailored so specifically to Verstappen that “it seems difficult for anyone else to drive it effectively”, and argues Red Bull deliberately avoids signing strong teammates.

“Red Bull tend not to choose a second driver who will pose any threat to Max – otherwise Carlos Sainz would have been an obvious choice for 2025,” said the American.

While also calling Verstappen “a brilliant driver”, Brown claims the team has become dependent on keeping him satisfied.

“They are terrified of losing him, and the way they have chosen to do that is to keep him happy above all else,” he continues. “If that means becoming a one-man team, a driver’s own little empire, they are willing to do that.”

Brown contrasts that philosophy with McLaren’s own approach.

“That’s not how I want to lead at McLaren,” he writes. “That kind of unfairness, that stifling of competition, is not part of our company ethos.”

Editor’s Note: The fact that Zak Brown tries to disparage Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team at every turn proves that Verstappen lives rent-free in his head 24×7. You don’t see Verstappen disparaging the McLaren drivers or the team