Lando Norris warned Max Verstappen would ‘stop at nothing’ to give McLaren an Ayrton Senna 2.0 issue

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Johnny Herbert believes Max Verstappen would “stop at nothing” to get control away from Lando Norris if he were to join McLaren, just as Ayrton Senna did to Alain Prost.

McLaren have emerged as a potential new destination for Verstappen amid the uncertainty that has so far surrounded the Red Bull driver throughout the 2026 season. Verstappen put himself in the spotlight by threatening to quit F1 and is widely known to hold an exit clause.

It is said that Verstappen can use his exit clause between August and October if he is outside the top two in the drivers’ standings at the 2026 summer break. Red Bull’s lack of early form under the new regulations currently has Verstappen in P7, with three rounds until the break.

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Johnny Herbert gets Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost vibes from Max Verstappen joining Lando Norris at McLaren

So, while Norris and Oscar Piastri both have contracts through at least the 2028 season, it is now said that McLaren have held preliminary talks with Verstappen’s manager about a deal for 2027 or 2028. Herbert certainly would not be shocked if there is any truth to the claims.

READ MORE: The five worst moments of Max Verstappen’s career in Formula 1

“I know there are these rumours about McLaren and doing a straight swap with Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen at Red Bull,” Herbert told Vision4Sport, who offer Formula 1 hospitality packages. “But I’m sure it’s ongoing with Mercedes at the same time, too.

“I’m sure they’re probably talking to Ferrari at the same time, as well! It would be foolish of Max Verstappen and his team not to talk to those big teams because you’ve got to make sure that you’re in a position, when those doors do open, that you’re ready to jump.”

Herbert is also sure that McLaren CEO Zak Brown would be able to manage the undoubted “fireworks” that would arise from pairing Norris with Verstappen. He is sure that Verstappen would want to seize control of the McLaren garage away from Norris, like Senna did to Prost when the Brazilian joined the team back in 1988 and he immediately won the drivers’ title.

Herbert added: “You’ll have two world champions in Lando Norris and Max Verstappen locking horns at McLaren. Going into McLaren, Max would want to take control of his destiny and the reins of Lando out of his hands. That’s what Michael Schumacher did, that’s what Ayrton Senna did in many respects with Alain Prost.

“You’ve got to have that ability to go in there and grab hold of that team and take it for yourself. Lando is in a good position, as well, because he’s always been an easy-going, happy chap. But in the last couple of years, he’s matured massively and he is much more mature mentally. He’d be very aware that if Max were to come in, he’d stop at nothing.

“That would only make it quite feisty. Max and Lando have got a great relationship, but they’re not racing in the same team. If they were, then that changes everything. But his maturity is such that he’d be able to cope with it.

“There would probably be a few fireworks that McLaren would have to control not dissimilar to that of Prost and Senna. But I think it would only benefit McLaren and only benefit Lando and Max, as well, because they’d push each other, and being pushed by each other is always a positive thing.

“I think the synergy would work because, as I said, they do have a good relationship away from the circuit. But respect for each other, and think Lando is a much feistier competitor than he was a couple of years ago. It’s a nice headache for Zak Brown to have. Is it manageable? Yes. The respect between them is there, on and off the track.”

McLaren were very much Prost’s team before Senna arrived, after the Frenchman had driven for the team since 1984 and also won them the drivers’ title in 1985 and 1986. Two legends locking horns naturally saw several controversial incidents, until Prost joined Ferrari in 1990.

Johnny Herbert thinks Red Bull’s upgrades can convince Max Verstappen to stay

Prost and Senna developed a fierce rivalry whilst teammates at McLaren in the 1980s, which Herbert would now expect if Verstappen were to walk into Norris’ team in the 2020s. But he is not certain that Verstappen is ready to quit Red Bull, especially after seeing their progress.

Red Bull unveiled a major upgrade package in Austria last week, which overhauled the RB22 from front to rear with new sidepods, engine cover, floor, rear suspension, rear corner, rear wing and exhaust. The end results were massive, as they put Verstappen in the fight to win.

READ MORE: Every time that Max Verstappen has clashed with the media

Also, Verstappen’s crash during Q3 in Austria likely denied him the chance to fight Mercedes duo George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli for pole position. Yet the Dutchman rallied in the race and finished only 1.611s behind as Russell won, so Herbert sees the reason to stay.

“Is he ready to jump?” Herbert added. “Because if we actually look at what Red Bull have done even this season, it’s been an incredible job in a very short space of time.

“And if we look at what he’s done so far this year, then you look at Austria, they were pretty close to being on par with Mercedes. He was very close to getting that pole position, if he hadn’t crashed. And then he showed his pace in the race, as well.

“So, is Red Bull at a place you totally disregard and say, ‘I don’t want to be here?’ No, it isn’t. He’s putting himself in a very strong position, because anybody would want him on their books. And Red Bull have put themselves back in the frame in Max’s eyes. That’s what it’s very, very positive. The only thing, of course, is losing his engineer.

“It isn’t just what Red Bull do, it’s still the relationship with your engineer that matters. The prime example of how important that is with Lewis [Hamilton] at Ferrari. Look at how long that took before he got himself an engineer with whom he feels comfortable and believes and trusts what he says.”

It is thought that Verstappen will drive for Red Bull at least in 2027, and not use his release clause this summer, as he does not believe it currently makes sense to move to a rival. But the Dutchman’s future will likely be a point of debate again in 2028, unless he is dominant.