So it looks like McLaren's interest in signing Max Verstappen might not be as hot as we thought. The two parties did have conversations about a possible 2027 move, but according to journalist Ralf Bach, the Woking team have now pumped the brakes on the whole deal. The sticking point? Money. Verstappen's currently pulling in around 57.4 million quid a year at Red Bull, which is nearly 15 million more than Lando Norris makes and more than double Oscar Piastri's wages. That's a seriously expensive package for McLaren to swallow, even with their Bahraini owners backing them.

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The timing makes sense when you think about what's happening at Red Bull. The Milton Keynes squad are really struggling to build a competitive car under the new regulations, and Max isn't exactly rushing to commit his future to them. He's got an exit clause in his contract that's valid until October, so he's definitely got options. If he decides to stick around in F1 rather than walk away entirely, McLaren seemed like the obvious destination. But those salary negotiations have apparently killed that dream for now.

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Here's the thing though. Red Bull has managed to push away the guy who's genuinely loyal to the team. According to Bach, they've lost the people Max actually trusts. Helmut Marko's gone, and his race engineer, who Max absolutely relies on, has headed over to McLaren. That's the kind of stuff that makes a driver want out, and you can't blame him for looking elsewhere when the atmosphere's clearly changing.

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The Mercedes option has always been the one Max really wants, but even they couldn't match Red Bull's wages. That's left him in a weird spot where his price tag is essentially pricing him out of moves. So now? Looks like Max might just bite the bullet and stick with Red Bull for another year while he waits to see what other opportunities come up. It's mad how quickly things have shifted, really.

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