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Jenson Button has urged McLaren to resist the temptation of replacing Oscar Piastri with Max Verstappen, despite speculation linking the four-time world champion with a move to Woking from 2027 or 2028. The 2009 world champion acknowledged Verstappen's exceptional talent but warned that disrupting a driver pairing that came within one race of delivering the title last season carries significant risk.
Reports have suggested McLaren is exploring the possibility of signing Verstappen as early as 2027, with Piastri potentially moving to Red Bull in exchange. The speculation intensified after manager Raymond Vermeulen publicly acknowledged that Verstappen could leave Red Bull. Button, however, believes the proposition is far less straightforward than it appears on paper.
"It's an incredibly difficult situation," Button told the media. "Both drivers have contracts, so one of them would have to want to leave in the first place. Maybe that's the case, maybe it isn't. But you don't just set aside a driver who was fighting for the world championship until the last race of the season."
The adaptation gamble McLaren would be taking
Button does not question Verstappen's ability. "Max is a four-time world champion and can do things with a Formula 1 car that most of us can only dream of," he said. The concern lies elsewhere. "But you don't know how he'll adapt at McLaren. He's raced his entire Formula 1 career only for Red Bull. Why would you change something that's working well right now?"
Piastri finished second in the 2024 drivers' championship, taking the title fight to the final round in Abu Dhabi. He also played a pivotal role in McLaren securing the constructors' championship. Button's argument rests on the principle that proven performance within an established system outweighs the theoretical upside of signing a bigger name who has never worked outside his current environment.
Verstappen's perspective and Red Bull's exodus
From Verstappen's side, Button understands the logic of exploring options. Red Bull has haemorrhaged key personnel over the past 18 months, including race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, and potentially chief engineer Paul Monaghan. "Max will no doubt be asking himself where Red Bull is heading," Button said. "That's exactly why his manager is smart to look around at other possibilities."
Verstappen's career timeline also factors into the equation. "He doesn't have an endless career. He'll get bored if he's consistently running in the midfield, and then he'll look for a new challenge. He wants to enjoy himself and fight for victories," Button added. The Dutchman has made it clear in the past that prolonged uncompetitiveness would prompt him to consider early retirement or a move elsewhere.
Austria result may have shifted the equation
Button pointed to the Austrian Grand Prix as a potential turning point in Verstappen's thinking. Red Bull's upgrade package showed genuine promise, with Verstappen finishing close to the Mercedes duo and comfortably ahead of both McLarens. "After Austria, Verstappen will have seen that the updates work. They were close to Mercedes and he finished well clear of the McLarens. That will give him confidence," Button observed.
The performance swing raises the question of whether Verstappen's camp will dial back its market exploration if Red Bull demonstrates consistent competitiveness through the second half of 2025. Button framed the decision in stark terms. "Ultimately, as a driver, you sometimes have to be selfish with these kinds of choices, because one wrong decision can send your career in a completely different direction."
McLaren now faces a high-stakes dilemma. Pursuing Verstappen means destabilising a lineup that has already delivered a constructors' title and came agonisingly close to a drivers' crown. Button's advice is clear: the risk of disruption outweighs the allure of signing the sport's most dominant driver, particularly when that driver has spent his entire career embedded in a single team's culture.
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