Zak Brown Echoes Toto Wolff: Verstappen Called Arrogant

“And like you said, before I could only win it in the fastest car!” Max Verstappen couldn’t help himself last year after the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Spotting Zak Brown walking by, he pulled the McLaren boss in front of Sky Sports’ camera and confronted him about his earlier comments.

The funny thing is, they clearly respect each other. Brown has compared Verstappen to Ayrton Senna and admits Max deserved his title – even though Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had the better car for much of the year.

Fans were surprised to see this friendly exchange. For weeks, Brown had been taking shots at Verstappen and Red Bull, particularly criticizing Max’s aggressive driving style.

## Brown’s Playbook Looks Familiar

Brown is basically following Toto Wolff’s 2021 strategy. The Mercedes boss constantly highlighted Verstappen’s aggression during that intense title fight with Lewis Hamilton.

It’s not hard to see why Brown’s using the same tactics. Verstappen hasn’t changed his racing style since becoming champion, so there are still people who think he races too hard.

Like Wolff, Brown has a British driver (Norris) who supposedly stands for “fair racing” – at least that’s what Brown wants everyone to believe.

They both enjoy support from British media, who naturally back their compatriots driving for UK-based teams. Sky Sports is the prime example – the same broadcaster Verstappen and Red Bull boycotted in late 2022.

## The Attacks Continue

Brown has kept up his campaign in 2025, taking shots at both Red Bull Racing (especially Christian Horner) and Verstappen. In his new book, he claimed people at Red Bull are afraid of Max and do whatever he says.

Then came that Telegraph interview: “I don’t want to disparage Max…. He’s a four-time world champion. He can be a bruiser, too aggressive on track. His arrogance comes out.”

“If you look at some of the greatest champions in Formula One, they’ve had some arrogance about them. They get their elbows out,” Brown added.

But apparently Max crosses the line. “Max has crossed the line on track at times. In Brazil against Lewis Hamilton over time. A handful of his passes on Lewis were overly aggressive.”

Brown now claims his comments were taken out of context. But calling someone “arrogant” and saying they “cross the line” is pretty clear, isn’t it?

He’s trying to push the same narrative about Verstappen that Wolff did, but it’s not working as well. While Hamilton had crowds backing him in 2021, few seem to rally behind McLaren and Norris.

In fact, Norris has won the last two races but was booed by fans. Those “papaya rules” at McLaren have backfired badly, and public respect seems a long way off – even though they’re leading the championship.

## Future Teammates?

Interestingly, the relationship between Brown and Verstappen isn’t actually that bad. During Red Bull’s Horner crisis, Max mentioned he has a good relationship with Brown, just as he’s had with Wolff for years. A few media jabs don’t seem to bother the four-time champ much.

For Brown, keeping that relationship intact is crucial. That’s probably why he reached out to Verstappen after his comments. It might seem crazy now, but who in 2021 would have thought Verstappen and Wolff would ever discuss working together?

Brown will want to keep that door open. Sure, he might soon have a world champion in Norris, but Verstappen is still the best driver in F1.

If Max becomes available, you always try to sign him – just like Brown reached out to Verstappen’s camp earlier this year to see what might be possible. The door was closed for now, but who knows? They might need each other someday.

## GPblog’s F1 Paddock Update

Want to stay up-to-date with all the F1 paddock gossip? Check out GPblog’s F1 Paddock Update videos. Subscribe to GPblog’s YouTube channel and turn on notifications so you never miss the latest episodes.

Follow us on Spotify too!