Zak Brown Recalls Humorous Exchange with Max Verstappen: “Now He Knows My Face”

Zak Brown (L) and Max Verstappen (R)

Ever since McLaren started competing at the front of the grid, there has been a rivalry bubbling between the Woking-based team and Red Bull. And this rivalry isn’t limited to Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, as the team bosses have also got involved. McLaren CEO, Zak Brown recently revealed a hilarious exchange of digs between himself and the four-time world champion.

Speaking to De Telegraaf, Brown revealed that Verstappen had said during the British GP weekend, earlier this year, that he didn’t know who ‘Zak Brown’ was. To which, the 53-year-old Los Angeles native had decided to drop the Dutchman a personal text.

“I sent him a funny message and said: ‘I want to introduce myself, you may not know me, but I manage McLaren’,” revealed Brown as quoted on X (formerly Twitter). The friendly banter did not end there, however.

The duo happened to cross paths in the paddock for the Italian GP at Monza. That’s where Brown reminded Verstappen exactly who he was and said, “that now you [also] know my face!”

Despite all the drama that Verstappen and Norris have served up on the track, the Dutchman still has a pretty good relationship with the #4 driver’s boss. Even after his title win at the Las Vegas GP, two weeks ago, the #1 driver was quick to share a friendly dig with the American on live television.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Verstappen saw Brown approaching him to congratulate him. And the Red Bull driver did not miss the moment to make the 53-year-old blush in front of a global TV audience.

The four-time world champion jokingly recalled Brown’s old comments that he could only win the championship in the fastest car. Acknowledging the Dutchman’s incredible 2024 performance where he dragged his under-firing RB20 to the title, Brown laughed it off with a slightly embarrassed nod of agreement.

Post Edited By: Aishwary Gaonkar
Max Verstappen McLaren Red Bull Zak Brown

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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