Max Verstappen has already criticised ‘nonsense’ McLaren policy that may stop him joining

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Rumours around Max Verstappen’s future in Formula 1 ramped up again at the Austrian Grand Prix as he was linked with a shock move to McLaren.

These links to the Woking outfit felt absolutely inevitable. Red Bull are struggling under the 2026 regulations, Verstappen is free to leave this year if he so wishes, and his right-hand man, Gianpiero Lambiase, is joining McLaren in 2028.

Reports suggested that Lambiase is already putting in a good word for Verstappen at McLaren, fuelling speculation that he will move there one day.

Whether this will actually happen is up in the air, as it would cause chaos in the F1 driver market. According to Sky Sports, Verstappen’s camp initiated contact with McLaren, and should he join them, it likely means that Oscar Piastri will leave amid his links to Red Bull.

Where would Max Verstappen and Lando Norris rank among McLaren’s greatest line-ups?

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Max Verstappen may not join McLaren over ‘nonsense’ papaya rules

But there are multiple reasons why the Dutchman may push back against McLaren’s interest. For starters, Lambiase is not joining until 2028, and with Verstappen saying in the past that he would only work with him or quit, he is unlikely to join until then.

Then there are the media commitments – McLaren would make Verstappen do more sponsor events than Red Bull, which he also will despise. Furthermore, Red Bull allow him to compete in other series outside of F1, and it is unclear if another team would give him the same privilege.

But the biggest drawback for signing with McLaren is, unquestionably, papaya rules. The team caused major controversy with their policy towards Lando Norris and Piastri in 2025 as the pair fought Verstappen for the title.

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In the end, Norris beat the four-time champion by two points, but the Woking outfit’s handling of their drivers was scrutinised massively, especially by Piastri’s camp, who felt they were treated unfairly throughout the season.

Many experts and fans slammed papaya rules, and the Red Bull driver was not in support of it either. Back in 2024, Verstappen called McLaren’s papaya rules ‘nonsense’ and even said he would have told his engineer to ‘shut up immediately’ if something like that was mentioned to him.

Verstappen said Piastri sold his ‘soul’ by listening to team orders in 2025, with the Aussie finishing behind the Dutchman in the standings despite leading for 15 race weekends.

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Clearly, Verstappen is not a fan of McLaren’s team orders, and Zak Brown has also made it clear that their philosophy will not change. He has insisted that he has two number one drivers and will give them equal treatment.

If Verstappen were to join McLaren, he would be walking into a team that he would not be leading. It is highly unlikely that the team would suddenly change approach and make Verstappen number one, or even vice versa and give the reins to Norris.

Verstappen will likely stay at Red Bull, and no move to McLaren is on the cards, for now at least. If the reports are true and his camp are seriously considering the Woking outfit for the future, papaya rules are something they have to bear in mind, especially when his views on the matter are already clear.