Red Bull’s phonecall to Max Verstappen after Christian Horner sacking proves Zak Brown right

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Zak Brown has claimed that Max Verstappen is effectively ‘running’ the Red Bull F1 team. The McLaren boss believes his rivals are ‘afraid’ of their star driver.

According to Brown, who was writing in his book ‘Seven Tenths of a Second’, ‘everyone’ at Red Bull was ‘subservient’ to Verstappen even before Christian Horner was sacked in July. It means ‘the car is tailored to Max’ and the second driver never poses any ‘threat’.

Brown is echoing Sergio Perez, who said Verstappen’s teammates are forced to adapt to his ‘very unique’ driving style. Jos Verstappen has challenged Perez’s account, instead putting his son’s perennial advantage down to his adaptability.

Verstappen has made 207 appearances for Red Bull – only Lewis Hamilton (246 for Mercedes) has started more races for a single team. The Dutchman has won 68 of those Grands Prix and is starting to be called the greatest of all time by some observers.

Red Bull shareholders called Max Verstappen directly when Christian Horner was sacked

Shortly after Horner’s sacking, it was suggested that Verstappen had given Red Bull an ultimatum, threatening to leave unless there was a change of regime.

This has been firmly denied by the driver’s camp. According to The Times, the team’s shareholders called Verstappen directly to discuss the decision.

The other three drivers controlled by Red Bull – Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson – were simply informed by team staff.

Brown says Red Bull have become a ‘one-man team’ in their efforts to keep Verstappen happy ‘above all else’. His unique treatment arguably supports that theory.

Zak Brown is trying to play Red Bull at their own game

There may be an ulterior motive behind Brown’s comments. While his chances receded in Brazil, Verstappen remains a factor in the F1 title race.

Brown says Lewis Hamilton deserved to win the 2021 title, rather than Verstappen. This could be an attempt at mind games, traditionally Red Bull’s forte.

Relations between the two teams had been improving since Laurent Mekies’ arrival. Brown ‘didn’t like’ his rivalry with Horner, which turned bitter at times.

His latest comments about Red Bull and Verstappen could lead to renewed tension. The Milton Keynes outfit will have a chance to respond in Las Vegas.