McLaren phoned Max Verstappen to ‘explore the market’

McLaren put in a call to Max Verstappen in a bold move which would have shaken the F1 drivers’ market.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown phoned Verstappen “some time ago”, he told De Telegraaf.

However, Brown insisted it was only a single phone call to “explore the market”.

McLaren enquired about Max Verstappen availability

Red Bull star Verstappen’s future was in question a year ago amid his team’s internal battle which involved Christian Horner.

Jos Verstappen and Helmut Marko became embroiled in the problem which threatened Red Bull’s top driver’s stay at the team.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was vocal about signing Verstappen, at the time.

McLaren and Mercedes look away from Max Verstappen

But the F1 driver market has considerably changed since Verstappen’s future was at-risk.

Ahead of this weekend’s F1 Australian Grand Prix, McLaren tied Oscar Piastri down to a new multi-year contract.

That fresh deal reportedly gives Piastri parity with teammate Lando Norris’ hefty wages, at around £20m-per-year according to the Daily Mail.

Mercedes have also committed to Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement, next to George Russell.

And Wolff moved to shut the door on Verstappen to Mercedes.

Wolff is committed to building rookie Antonelli’s F1 career. Antonelli has been likened to a teenage Verstappen, who Mercedes missed out on signing.

Russell is also set for contract talks with Mercedes which would solidify his status.

From 2026, the new F1 engine regulations will create a dynamic where any front-running team could burst out of the gates with an era-defining car.

That means Verstappen - and every top F1 driver - will be looking around to see which car might give them the greatest chance of victory.

The driver market is likely to take further twists when 2026 creates a new pecking order.