McLaren boss Zak Brown says he has no interest in fulfilling Red Bull’s hefty financial demands linked to an early release of Toro Rosso technical director James Key.<\/p>\n
McLaren has hired the British engineer to move to Woking sometime in the future, but in the interim Key remains contracted to Toro Rosso, and any premature departure would entail a healthy compensation fee according to Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko.<\/p>\n
“We told McLaren what would solve the problem, and we didn’t hear anything,” Marko told Motorsport.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n “We are not in a hurry. It’s financial \u2013 we don’t mix things.”<\/p>\n Preliminary discussions between the two parties have now ground to a halt, with McLaren unwilling to comply with its rival’s demands.<\/p>\n “We’re in no dialogue with them,” Brown told Motorsport.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n “They have named their terms. I’m not interested in the terms that they’ve put forward.”<\/p>\n “We have signed a contract with James, so he will be joining McLaren as technical director. We’re still working through the timing of that.<\/p>\n “I think it’s high unlikely that he will join us this season \u2013 and we don’t have a specific start date yet.”<\/p>\n An interesting footnote that has emerged from the negotiations is the potential fate that could befall McLaren junior Lando Norris at the end of this month.<\/p>\n The 18-year-old is a contender for a seat at McLaren, Brown confirmed in Monza. However, the team’s option on Norris expires on September 30, leaving him a free agent after that date.<\/p>\n Recent reports suggested that McLaren would be prepared to offer Norris to Toro Rosso as part of a compensation awarded to Red Bull for Key’s early release.<\/p>\n But Marko rightly noted that such an eventuality would not be necessary given the driver’s almost expired contract with McLaren.<\/p>\n “At the moment there’s a clear situation,” said Marko. ‘If they give him a drive by the end of September, he is fixed. If not he is free.”<\/p>\n Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers<\/u><\/p>\n\nPerez plays down potential McLaren move rumors\n<\/ul>\n