Max Verstappen says a future outside of Red Bull in Formula 1 is “not even in my head”, but he also admits that he could “never say never” on a potential Ferrari switch.
Verstappen’s undeniable talent prior to his arrival in F1 witnessed both Mercedes and Red Bull clamour for his services, with the Dutchman’s camp eventually opting to sign with the latter based on the promise of a seat materialising in the top flight for 2015.
Having triumphed on his debut for the senior Red Bull team in his second season, Verstappen has gone on to accrue 54 career wins and three consecutive Drivers’ titles.
However, the Dutchman has repeatedly warned that he could elect to walk away from the sport once his current Red Bull contract expires at the conclusion of 2028.
In a similar ilk to Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton had appeared destined to end his F1 career aligned with one brand, but it was revealed earlier this month that the Briton will depart Mercedes to move to Ferrari from next year.
When asked whether he had harboured thoughts on driving for the Maranello-based outfit, Verstappen told selected media including Motorsport Week: “I don’t want to sound disrespectful or whatever. I mean, I have a lot of respect for the brand Ferrari, but I’m very happy where I’m at the moment.
“So I’m comfortable in the environment that I’m in, so for me, it’s not something that I’m looking for, to change or whatever.
“But again, in my life also, I know from what I’ve experienced so far, I never say never with things. But for me now, it’s not even in my in my head. But again, it’s only Formula One. I want to do more things than Formula One as well.”
Hamilton and Verstappen had fought a relentless battle for the 2021 championship that was shrouded in controversy and went down to the last lap of the final race, with the Red Bull driver’s contentious success commencing a new period of dominance.
However, the contrasting fortunes endured by their respective teams since the new regulations were introduced in 2022 have seldom seen them battle on track since.
Verstappen was reserved when asked about Hamilton’s impending transfer to Ferrari, citing that only the parties involved would understand the reasons for his decision.
“I mean, at the end of the day if someone wants to drive a Ferrari and especially someone like Lewis, having achieved so much, if that’s his dream and goal, and again, we don’t know the talks that they had right at Mercedes, at Ferrari, what has been promised, what they think is coming,” he added. “So you can’t give an honest assessment from our side why you make that decision.
“But if he’s happy with that move, then he should go, I think it will look cool. And of course, I hope for them that it’s going to be success, but you don’t know at the moment.”
