Rival F1 team boss fuels Max Verstappen to Mercedes talk: ‘Where there’s smoke, there’s fire’

McLaren boss Zak Brown has fuelled speculation that Max Verstappen could move to Mercedes by saying “where there’s smoke, there’s fire”.

Ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, the major talking point is Verstappen’s F1 future.

Verstappen has been heavily linked with a sensational switch to Mercedes, with Sky Italia claiming that the Dutchman had agreed to leave Red Bull.

Dutch journalist Erik van Haren, who is close to the Verstappen camp, has disputed this claim.

Verstappen’s F1 future has been a hot topic over the past 12 months amid Red Bull’s decline in on-track performance.

Red Bull are not in title contention this year as McLaren run away with both titles.

With a number of high-profile departures, such as Jonathan Wheatley and Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s chances of returning to the top of F1 look unlikely.

This is on top of building their own power unit for the first time.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Brown gave his view on the speculation.

“You’re never totally sure but I am a believer of where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” Brown said.

“If everyone was committed to their seats for next year, that’s what everyone would be saying. The fact everyone is talking. Nobody has confirmed anything so that tells me conversations are going on. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Max in a Mercedes.

“I don’t think that’s out of the question. I think I’d rather see Max in a Red Bull at the moment than a Mercedes because he’s doing an unbelievable job, of course. This is what F1 is about. It’s always exciting. Stay tuned. There might be another chapter to this story.”

Red Bull would be behind RB without Verstappen

Red Bull have heavily relied on Max Verstappen and the points he accrued.

Liam Lawson failed to score in his two races with the team, while Yuki Tsunoda’s best finish since being promoted was ninth at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Brown conceded that Verstappen is “carrying” Red Bull at the moment and they’d be behind RB (previously known as AlphaTauri) without him.

“They would probably be behind AlphaTauri. They’ve done a great job and got a great racing car. Max is carrying them at the moment,” he added.