Brown called Verstappen’s management team ahead of Piastri re-signing

Since 2023 McLaren has sported the young and exciting driver line-up of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, a pairing which took McLaren to the F1 2024 Constructors’ Championship, their first teams’ title since 1998.

Both Piastri and Norris harbour Drivers’ Championship aspirations for F1 2025, and Piastri was boosted ahead of the new season by signing a multi-year contract extension, taking him until at least the end of 2028, the year when Verstappen’s Red Bull deal is set to expire.

And according to a report by Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Brown had ‘some time ago’ got in touch with Verstappen’s management team to enquire about his contract situation at Red Bull, to get a clear picture of any potential availability.

While Verstappen did sign that Red Bull deal until the end of 2028 – a record-breaker for its duration at the time – Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner have admitted that the Dutchman’s deal contains a performance-related exit clause.

Amid the off-track unrest at Red Bull and the end of their dominant ways last season, Verstappen saw his name linked with the likes of Mercedes and Aston Martin.

However, the report notes Brown has confirmed he made one call only to Verstappen’s management, merely ‘to explore the market’.

Verstappen has long since been managed by Raymond Vermeulen.

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Reacting to his new McLaren deal, Piastri said: “It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m part of McLaren’s long-term vision.

“The team had the belief in me when we signed in 2022, and the journey we’ve gone on over the past two seasons to help return McLaren to the very top of the sport has been incredible.

“There are so many talented and special people working at MTC who have helped me to become a Formula 1 race winner very early in my career.

“Therefore, I’m very proud to be continuing to represent this legendary team for many years to come.

““I’m excited to fight for the big prizes as a McLaren driver and after last year’s fantastic achievements, it has made me even hungrier to stay at the sharp end.”

Piastri took his first two F1 grand prix wins in 2024 at the Hungarian and Azerbaijan GPs.