Max Verstappen's Future: Could He Join McLaren?

New Delhi, India Jul 14, 2026 ALN: The battle for the drivers' championship has tightened up as F1 prepares for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

Kimi Antonelli's lead over Mercedes team-mate George Russell has narrowed to 25 points, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton a further seven points back.

Before the race at Spa-Francorchamps, BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answers your latest questions.

I'm struggling to see how Max Verstappen could go to McLaren. They never have a number one driver, and last year Max was laughing at McLaren's decisions when trying to be fair to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, such as the swap in Monza for a slow pit stop. Max isn't going to accept a team order to let his team-mate past to keep things fair (like he didn't in Brazil in 2022). Surely it would tear McLaren apart if he went there? - Tim

The first thing to say here is that McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has done everything he can to dismiss the idea of Max Verstappen moving to McLaren in the foreseeable future.

Brown stated at the British Grand Prix that the talks he had recently with Verstappen's management "didn't go anywhere," and that he was "very happy with my two racing drivers" and "what I couldn't offer him (Verstappen) was a seat in my race car."

Despite this, Verstappen and his management are exploring their options, and McLaren is a team they are considering.

Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028 but has a performance clause that could allow him to leave at the end of this year if he chooses.

This clause does not come into effect until October, so there is plenty of time before any decisions are likely to be made, and sources have indicated that Verstappen has made no decisions as of yet.

Could it work if Verstappen wanted to go to McLaren? First, Brown would need to find a way to remove one of his current drivers, world champion Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri.

If he managed to do that, the fundamental basis of McLaren's philosophy is fairness. Their drivers are allowed to race each other, and the team will only intervene in specific circumstances, as seen a few times last year.

This approach differs from the one traditionally adopted at Red Bull, but it aligns with Mercedes, another team with which Verstappen has had discussions.

Neither team would change their approach should Verstappen join, but why would he have a problem with it?

Verstappen would likely back himself to win any fight with any team-mate he faced.

However, any team that takes on Verstappen would be aware that they would be taking on a level of stress they might not experience with any other driver, testing their management skills.

While some might argue Verstappen's singular, no-compromise approach is a reason to be cautious about signing him, F1 teams ultimately prioritize performance. Signing Verstappen guarantees the highest possible performance in the cockpit on arguably the most consistent basis.

For McLaren, who are experiencing some downsides of being a customer engine team this season, that could be a very attractive proposition as they seek any edge they can find.

Lewis Hamilton, age 41, has recently won a race for Ferrari. Fernando Alonso, age 44, is consistently out-performing his younger team-mate. Are the cars easier to drive, or do some drivers have more longevity? - Matthew

It is a fact that grands prix are less physically demanding than they were in the mid-2000s, when there was refueling and a tire war, and races were driven flat out from start to finish.

With tire and energy management, that is no longer the case.

However, driving an F1 car remains a highly demanding physical experience, and Hamilton and Alonso are in excellent condition.

The real limiting factor for a racing driver as they age is mental rather than physical, as long as they can continue to meet the bodily demands.

Drivers tend to lose the desire and commitment needed to test themselves to the limit in an extremely dangerous environment.

To perform at the highest level in F1, one must truly want it, driving to the limit every time they get in the car, regardless of competitiveness. Hamilton and Alonso remain totally committed and in love with what they do.

Combined with their exceptional levels of ability—being two of the greatest drivers ever—they continue to deliver remarkable performances.

However, the fact that so few others have been able to achieve this highlights how unusual and extraordinary their accomplishments are.

Spa is regarded as one of the all-time great circuits. What makes it so special? Will the 2026 cars perform well there? - Clive

Spa-Francorchamps, host of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, has established its reputation as an all-time classic circuit due to the challenges it presents to drivers.

Whether in its original eight-mile form or the shortened 4.3-mile version used since 1983, it features a combination of flowing, high, and medium-speed corners unmatched by very few circuits worldwide. On the F1 calendar, only Suzuka in Japan is a realistic rival, although Monaco is exceptional in a different way.

The most famous corner is Eau Rouge, a high-speed left-right flick into and out of a compression that launches the cars uphill into a left over a crest, technically known as Raidillon.

In dry conditions, on empty tanks during a qualifying lap, Eau Rouge is now considered 'easy flat'—the challenge has diminished because the car is not at the limit of grip through there. However, it remains a daunting 200mph corner.

In wet conditions, it is as fearsome as ever.

Currently, the 'big' corner at Spa is Pouhon, the high-speed downhill double left-hander midway around the lap, which was taken flat-out in the best cars in recent years but is unlikely to be so this year.

It's the way a series of challenging, long corners flow together that makes Spa what it is—similar to Suzuka.

Former F1 driver Mark Webber once said that a lap of Spa "felt like you were going somewhere." In that sense, it is reminiscent of the old road courses that used to dominate the calendar.

These flowed around the contours of a landscape and evolved organically by connecting public roads, just as Spa originally did, even though the parts that used to be public are now fully closed off.

Another aspect of tracks like this is the jeopardy factor. Spa remains very dangerous, even in its modern form, as evidenced by the deaths of Antoine Hubert in 2019 and Dilano Van 't Hoff in July 2023. These risks are heightened in wet conditions, which are common in the Ardennes forests.

Drivers are acutely aware of this, adding to the intensity of the experience. For example, Max Verstappen considers it his favorite circuit, stating: "It is amazing to drive in the dry, and when you then have a wet qualifying, it's pretty…. I wouldn't say scary, but it's really interesting and quite extreme."

As Mercedes boss Toto Wolff puts it, Spa is a reminder that F1 is "still a gladiators' ."

Will this year's cars perform well there? F1 cars are designed for tracks like Spa, but the new engines this year and the circuit's layout mean that the cars will be especially energy-starved.

The batteries will not last long enough for the cars to maintain full power throughout the long flat-out sections from La Source, through Eau Rouge, and up to Les Combes, or from Stavelot around Blanchimont to the Bus Stop chicane.

Consequently, the engines will enter recharge mode at certain points, leading to 'super-clipping,' where speed begins to decline as the engine runs against the MGU-K.

This is less than ideal, but as seen at Silverstone, where a similar issue occurred, most spectators may not notice from the outside.