McLaren CEO Zak Brown has shrugged off suggestions that he and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen have lingering issues after recent public exchanges.
Brown congratulated Verstappen live on air in Las Vegas after the Dutchman secured his fourth consecutive drivers' title, saying, "You earned it."
Verstappen, however, replied: "Like you said, before I could only win it in the fastest car. This year has been a little bit different."
Some observers speculated that Verstappen's reply hinted at unresolved tension stemming from Brown's earlier comments about Red Bull, following a tense championship head-to-head. Addressing this, Brown told De Telegraaf: "Max has a good sense of humour. A joke like that is part of it, isn't it? It's just a shame that people sometimes misjudge it."
Clarifying his earlier remarks, Brown said: "I said that he has now beaten my Senna guy, and then I read back that I compared Lando Norris with Ayrton Senna. I was just talking about Senna, because Max has been world champion more often than Ayrton now."
While tensions between Red Bull and McLaren have been evident throughout the 2024 season, Brown insists that his rapport with Verstappen remains solid.
"Do you remember Max saying in Silverstone: 'Who is Zak Brown?' I sent him a funny message after that and said, 'I want to introduce myself. You may not know me, but I am in charge of McLaren.'"
The "Who is Zak Brown?" comment followed strong criticism from Brown toward Red Bull, but the McLaren boss made it clear that his words were never aimed at Verstappen personally.
"Later in the season we also met in Monza," Brown said. "I shook his hand and said, 'Now you also know my face!' So much chaos is created on social media these days.
"And now, I didn't take offense to what he said in Las Vegas—are you crazy? I'm glad our relationship is good. Max is a smart guy, and I think he knows how the game is played. It's usually directed at Red Bull, but not him."
