Dutch F1 experts have restarted discussions about Max Verstappen’s future following rumors of his relationship with Mercedes, saying he would “empower” Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate. insisted. Verstappen withstood the most dominant period in F1 history with Red Bull and rose to become world champion for the third consecutive year from 2021.
Max Verstappen for Mercedes? Or to Ferrari with Lewis Hamilton? The 26-year-old has won 46 of the past 68 races since the start of his first title season, with Verstappen starting 2024 with back-to-back wins from pole positions in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Victory at next weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne would see Verstappen match his own record of 10 straight wins, just six months after surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s 2013 tally of nine. Despite his comfortable position at the sport’s summit – and holding a contract until the end of the 2028 season – Verstappen’s Red Bull future has been thrown into jeopardy in light of the recent saga involving team principal Christian Horner.
Verstappen’s father Jos called for Horner to leave his position after the Bahrain GP, accusing the long-serving team boss of “playing the victim when he is the one causing the problems” after an investigation into Horner’s conduct was dismissed. Amid concerns that Verstappen could leave Red Bull to replace Hamilton at Mercedes in Saudi Arabia a week later, Horner argued “nobody is bigger than the team.”
Although Charles Leclerc signed a new long-term extension with Ferrari as recently as January – seven days before Hamilton’s earth-shattering move was announced – Dutch racer and F1 analyst Mike Hezemans has proposed a theory that Verstappen could also join the Scuderia. And he believes Hamilton would be “clever” to accept Verstappen as his Ferrari team-mate in 2025. He told the Dutch edition of Racing News 365: “Of course, contracts in F1 mean nothing. “If I were [Ferrari team boss Fred] Vasseur, I would say yes.” And take the best with you.” . “But does Hamilton want that? Maybe he does, I think it’s wise. “It would be a lot of fun. But will it happen? I don’t believe in it. But if Verstappen went to Ferrari, it would give Ferrari a kind of boost.”
Verstappen insisted to the media in Saudi Arabia over the weekend that there was “no reason to leave Red Bull anytime soon”, but teased that Hamilton’s surprise move to Ferrari proved anything could happen. He said: “I don’t think anyone could have imagined that Lewis would move to Ferrari. “In my life, it has nothing to do with F1 or anything, it’s just life in general.
What happens, what happens to me, what’s happening around me and what happens to me. “So I can never say 100 percent that it will, and that’s how I approach my life. “But I don’t think about it too much. I’m very relaxed. I’m very happy with the team and we’re performing well, so there’s no reason to continue.” When asked if he intended to stay with Red Bull for the full term, Verstappen stressed that performance would be the deciding factor.
He said: “Of course, that was always the intent of the contract. That’s why we signed up for so long to come here. “And of course it’s about the performance of the car. “And of course after 2026 there will be new regulations so there will be a bit of a question mark, but we knew that when we signed the contract. “But they I know what the team has done for me in my career, so of course I’m going to stay loyal to this team because I really enjoy this team and I’m very excited about the team. There’s no reason to leave because I feel very comfortable.” ”
