Verstappen probably isn’t the first, nor will he be the last to accuse Brown of trying to stir controversy, as the McLaren executive has consistently expressed his opinions on various matters in the Formula 1 paddock.
We all remember when he sent a letter to the FIA asking them to consider Red Bull’s cost cap breach in 2021 as dishonest behavior.
When Christian Horner’s scandal emerged, Brown was deeply concerned about the sport’s transparency and advocated for full disclosure about another team’s internal issue, with strong support from their power unit supplier, Toto Wolff.
Brown has also been vocal about the unfairness of Red Bull owning two F1 teams, Red Bull Racing and VCARB.
In the cutthroat world of F1, where each team is fighting for success, it’s understandable that Brown, as McLaren’s CEO, does everything in his power to protect his team’s best interests. Recently, he tried to capitalize on the news of Adrian Newey’s departure from Red Bull.
He hinted that Newey was leaving due to Horner’s controversy, while also suggesting that many Red Bull team members are looking to join McLaren after the departure of Red Bull’s technical chief.
Verstappen responded to Brown’s comments, stating: “He [Brown] clearly wants to provoke conflict. As a team, we can’t do anything with comments like that.
“From his point of view, I understand, of course, because everyone is trying to attract our people, and that’s completely normal in the world of Formula 1 as well.
“But I’m also not particularly interested in these issues. I see the headlines, but I don’t even click on them,” the Dutch driver said.
Although Verstappen has revealed that key members of the Red Bull team have long-term contracts, he admitted that no contract can force employees to stay in a place where they are unhappy, which means contracts do not always carry much importance.
“In life, you can never guarantee everything,” he emphasized. “It is also possible that I may not wake up tomorrow morning, so in the end, you never know things with 100 percent certainty in life anyway.
“Of course, many agreements are made, but ultimately, it is also about everyone being satisfied with their work and feeling valued within the team.
“There are also many human aspects involved,” concluded the three-time F1 champion.
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