Zak Brown, the McLaren chief executive, has claimed that \u201ceveryone seems to be afraid\u201d of Max Verstappen at Red Bull.<\/p>\n
And he believes the four-time world champion has turned Red Bull into his \u201cown little empire\u201d where the team is \u201csubservient to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zak Brown: \u2018Everyone seems afraid\u2019 of Max Verstappen at Red Bull<\/p>\n
Verstappen has cemented his place among the greatest drivers in history over recent years, winning 58 0f the 111 races held since the start of his maiden title-winning season in 2021.<\/p>\n
However, Verstappen appears set to lose his world championship at the end of F1 2025 with Lando Norris, the McLaren driver, holding a 24-point lead over teammate Oscar Piastri ahead of the final triple header in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n
Verstappen currently occupies a distant third place in the standings, trailing Norris by 49 points.<\/p>\n
Go deeper: Understanding Red Bull driver Max Verstappen<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49\u00a0Jos Verstappen: The F1 racer turned ruthless mentor behind Max Verstappen\u2019s supreme F1 talent<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0Revealed: The three rules introduced by the FIA because of Max Verstappen<\/a><\/p>\n The Dutchman has scored all but 25 of Red Bull\u2019s points over the course of this season with his teammates, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, struggling to match his pace behind the wheel of the RB21 car.<\/p>\n The struggles of other Red Bull drivers over recent years has led to suggestions that the team is too heavily focused on Verstappen and his requirements from the car.<\/p>\n Brown has been a consistent critic of Verstappen and Red Bull with the McLaren boss embroiled in a fierce rivalry with former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.<\/p>\n Writing in his new book, Seven Tenths of a Second, Brown has claimed that Red Bull appear \u201cafraid\u201d of Verstappen, citing the team\u2019s decision to overlook Carlos Sainz last year as evidence of its desire to cater to the world champion.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cThe other example is Max Verstappen\u2019s rule at Red Bull. I\u00a0say \u2018rule\u2019 on purpose.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes, way before Christian Horner is fired in the middle of the 2025 season, it actually feels like Max is running the team.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone seems to be subservient to him. Everyone seems to be afraid of him.<\/p>\n \u201cThe car is tailored to Max, to a point where it seems difficult for anyone else to drive it effectively.<\/p>\n \u201cRed Bull tend not to choose a second driver who will pose any threat to Max, otherwise Carlos Sainz would have been an obvious choice [for 2025].\u201d<\/p>\n Horner was abruptly sacked by Red Bull after more than 20 years in charge following July\u2019s British Grand Prix, with Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies installed as his successor as chief executive and team principal.<\/p>\n Horner\u2019s exit came at the height of rumours linking Verstappen with a move to Mercedes for the F1 2026 season.<\/p>\n Verstappen insisted at the time that he had no influence on Red Bull\u2019s decision<\/a> to part with Horner.<\/p>\n More on Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Max Verstappen news<\/a><\/p>\n