Verstappen: The “Terrifying” Return of the Champion According to McLaren

According to Zak Brown, head of McLaren, Max Verstappen is like the character in a horror movie who refuses to be defeated. Verstappen is in a close battle for the drivers’ championship with McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Before this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the season, Verstappen and Piastri are 24 points behind Norris. In September, Verstappen was a considerable distance of 104 points from the championship lead, but since then he has starred in one of the most impressive comebacks in the history of Formula 1.

It’s like that guy in a horror movie, just when you think he won’t come back, he’s back!

Zak Brown

Brown, whose team has already secured a second consecutive constructors’ championship, has praised the skill of the Dutch driver. Brown commented on Verstappen in the Sports Agents podcast.

McLaren has reiterated its commitment to allow Norris and Piastri to compete freely without team orders until one of them is mathematically out of contention. Even Verstappen defended that policy before the Qatar Grand Prix, joking that it was “perfect” for him, as no driver who wants to win a world title wants to help another driver win it.

• Is it time for McLaren to prioritize Norris over Piastri?
• F1 title permutations: How Lando Norris can win it in Qatar
• Sebastian Vettel: Max Verstappen’s improvement in F1 is “frightening”

McLaren’s approach to managing its drivers has been a significant topic of conversation this season, and Brown said he is pleased that the internal environment has remained so positive. Brown mocked online conspiracy theories about him preferring Norris over Piastri as McLaren’s first world champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2007. “That’s complete nonsense,” he said.