The presence of Charles Leclerc and simply being “too honest” is why Max Verstappen doesn’t see a Ferrari move in the future.
Red Bull’s prize asset is out of contract at the end of 2020 and has been linked to Mercedes, although recently the Dutchman played down that possibility.
This year also saw the first jabs in what could be Formula 1’s next big rivalry between Verstappen and Leclerc, and it is the prospect of two alpha males at one team which the Dutchman sees as the most likely reason for him not wearing red anytime soon.
“I don’t think that will happen,” Max told Holland’s Ziggo Sport. “I get along well with Charles. It’s hard racing with him, but that is part of it.
“He has no influence whatsoever on whether I might get a seat at Ferrari, but I don’t think that will happen. You shouldn’t have two potential numbers one next to each other. He’s no slouch, is he?”
Recently, Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri also slammed Verstappen for his comments back in Austin when the claimed their drop in performance was a result of them no longer cheating.
In response, the 22-year-old said: “I’m probably too honest and too straightforward.
“I’m not a robot outside the car, and I’m happy about that; it’s just the way I was brought up. Sometimes it can work against you, but I see the positives of it.”
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On a different note, Verstappen was also asked by the Dutch broadcaster about his long-term future in F1 and whether, like Kimi Raikkonen, he would think about stepping back into a lesser team once his days at the front were over.
“In our sport, there are clear differences between the cars,” Max stated. “Now that I have gotten used to racing at the front, I don’t feel like going backwards later in my career.”