Max Verstappen admits he doesn’t have much interest in partnering either Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel if he can avoid it.
The Dutchman hasn’t had it easy at Red Bull alongside Daniel Ricciardo since 2016 but has gradually risen his profile within the team to a point where now he is the defacto lead driver after the Australian’s decision to join Renault.
In 2017, however, concerns over Red Bull’s competitiveness led to Mercedes talking to Verstappen about the possibility of a seat before instead, he committed to the Milton Keynes-based squad until the end of 2020.
“When I think of my own career, it is not convenient to sit next to Hamilton or Vettel right now. Although I would absolutely do it if I had no other choice,” he told Holland’s Formule1.com
“I believe that with Red Bull I can also become champion, as long as we have the right package together.”
A switch to Honda engines from 2019 has certainly raised expectations of a title challenge as has Verstappen’s own performance which took a clear step forward during the past year.
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Indeed, the 21-year-old took another jab at Hamilton, stating that only his Mercedes car has allowed him to claim four championships in the past five seasons.
“I think Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo and I could just as easily be champion with such a car,” he claimed.
“When I see onboard images, I think Mercedes has not even gone full throttle in many races.”
