Mika Hakkinen Warns McLaren Not to ‘Rock the Boat’ by Signing Max Verstappen

• Mika Hakkinen has questioned why his old team McLaren would want to sign Max Verstappen given the strength of the Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri pairing already in place
• Verstappen holds an exit clause in his Red Bull contract that he can trigger in October, and reports say McLaren CEO Zak Brown has explored a swap involving Verstappen and Piastri
• Hakkinen pointed to his own long partnership with David Coulthard at McLaren as proof that stability between two strong drivers builds team spirit rather than costing it

Former McLaren world champion Mika Hakkinen has questioned why his old team would want to disturb its current driver pairing by signing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, warning that doing so risks the team spirit Zak Brown has built at Woking.

Hakkinen, a two-time world champion with McLaren, made his comments on the Up To Speed podcast alongside his former team mate David Coulthard as speculation over Verstappen’s next move continues to build in the paddock.

Verstappen’s immediate future remains unclear. He holds an exit clause in his Red Bull contract that he can trigger in October if he wants to race elsewhere in 2027. Recent reports have suggested Brown has explored a deal with Red Bull that would see a swap between Oscar Piastri and Verstappen, though Piastri’s manager Mark Webber has denied his driver is looking for a way out of McLaren and dismissed the reports as false.

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Hakkinen Sees No Reason to Break Up a Winning Pair

Piastri has been team mates with reigning world champion Lando Norris at McLaren from 2023, and both drivers have multiple years left on their existing contracts. Speaking with his old McLaren team mate David Coulthard on the Up To Speed podcast, Hakkinen said he believes bringing in Verstappen would put that at risk.

“It’s very interesting, you know,” Hakkinen said. “It’s not only Max out there, of course. There are many other drivers. But what I have seen, how McLaren operates, they want to really look at the overall team package all the time. And that’s the only way to achieve success, is to build incredible team spirit power inside.”

Hakkinen went further, laying out how he would handle the decision if he were in Brown’s position.

“And you try to sometimes, in my opinion, I would, if you would ask me what I would do, I would like to minimise that risk. That way you lose this kind of team spirit,” Hakkinen said. “You know, if the team has two great drivers, why rock the boat? And of course, McLaren having a world champion.”

Drawing on His Own Partnership With Coulthard

Hakkinen backed up his argument by pointing to his own history alongside Coulthard, who partnered him at McLaren for six seasons through the late 1990s and into the 2000s.

“And look, we were the longest teammates in Formula 1. We were the longest teammates, and that indicates that if there’s a good harmony inside in a team, why have somebody else?” Hakkinen said. “And well, you were sometimes difficult, David, but you know, I was able to handle it!”

Where Else Could Verstappen Go?

Verstappen’s options for a top drive beyond Red Bull appear limited. Mercedes was rumoured to be a landing spot for him last year, but sources have told ESPN the team will continue with championship leader Kimi Antonelli and George Russell into 2027 at least. Ferrari has Lewis Hamilton signed on for another year, while Charles Leclerc recently signed an extension taking him beyond 2030.

That leaves McLaren as one of the few realistic destinations still being talked about in the paddock, even as Hakkinen argues against the move from the outside.

Verstappen has an exit clause in his Red Bull contract that he can trigger in October if he decides to race for another team in 2027, leaving him months to make his decision.

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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