McLaren’s boss claims Max Verstappen won’t ‘win a world championship’ in a challenger other than Red Bulls’

To date, the 26-year-old has amassed three world championships.

I think the way I characterize it is, I think there are six, seven drivers on the grid that will be world champions in the Red Bull. As great as Max [Verstappen] is, and he's one of the best ever. I don't think Max wins the world championship today in any other car, other than the Red Bull. Zak Brown said on the Beyond the Grid Podcast

Brown has not minced his words while giving a verdict on the reigning world champion. He genuinely feels that on the current F1 grid, there are a decent number of world championship-caliber drivers. From ex-champions like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to young guns in the name of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, the grid is stacked with immense talent!

Zak Brown feels Sergio Perez can’t challenge Max Verstappen

While Zak Brown has somewhat played down Max Verstappen’s current grip over F1, he has also indicated that the latter’s teammate, Sergio Perez is not the right man to challenge him for the world championship.

After six rounds in the ongoing campaign, Perez has only managed 103 points in comparison to Verstappen’s 136.

But then, when you look at the difference, and Sergio Perez is an excellent racing driver, who's shown on his day [he] can run with Max, but look at the difference there. Max is doing such a special job. Zak Brown said on the same podcast

The 2024 F1 season has so far seen three race winners. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz secured a win at Albert Park and McLaren’s Lando Norris recently got the jump on Verstappen in Miami. Keeping all this in view, the ongoing campaign is not as straightforward as everyone expected.

The mighty Red Bulls have so far had two off days and that has cost them dearly. Teams like Ferrari and McLaren are on the rise and thus, there is a decent possibility that the remaining races from Imola onwards could spring up quite a few surprises. Verstappen and Red Bull can’t afford any slip-ups if they are to maintain their lead in the standings.