“I have a lot of respect for Ferrari in general”: 24-year old Max Verstappen shares thoughts on $1.35 billion rival team

Max Verstappen revealed he has a tremendous amount of respect for Ferrari and even spends time with their team members. 

‘Everyone is a Ferrari fan, even if they say they’re not Ferrari fans’. This is a phrase we have seen being thrown around in the F1 community for quite some time, and with good reason.

The Scuderia is the most successful F1 team of all time, with the most number of Drivers’ and Constructors’ Titles. On top of that, they have arguably the most passionate fanbase, with the Tifosi turning up in huge numbers for every race weekend.

“Everyone is a Ferrari fan. Even if they say they’re not, they are Ferrari fans.” pic.twitter.com/jOzHS1s2Wq

— WTF1 (@wtf1official) April 7, 2022

The last decade has not been particularly strong for the Italian outfit. They have been overshadowed by Red Bull and Mercedes, and even though the current season started strongly for them, the tides have turned back in Red Bull’s favor.

2021 Champion Max Verstappen is currently leading the Championship by 96 points. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is P2, but with just eight races to go, it seems highly unlikely that we’ll see a change in the standings.

Also read: “Lewis Hamilton just couldn’t believe it had happened” – Valtteri Bottas says 7-time world champion had tough time accepting Abu Dhabi controversy

Max Verstappen has huge respect for Ferrari

Verstappen went through an intense Title battle in 2021 with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. Their on track tussles led to off track tensions between them, but his 2022 season is much more relaxed. The Dutch driver admitted that he enjoyed fighting with Ferrari a lot more than he did with the Silver Arrows.

The fact that he and Ferrari share a great relationship became evident after his latest interview. While talking to Sky Italy, the 24-year-old spoke about how much he holds the $1.35 billion team in high regard.

Gino Rosato (Ferrari) posted this video, where Max talked about his respect for Ferrari in an interview with Sky Italy. Max even mentioned hanging out with some Ferrari team members on Saturday night in Paul Ricard.

Max: “I just have a lot of respect for Ferrari in general.” pic.twitter.com/wS8dnlm9vo

— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) August 31, 2022

Verstappen even mentioned that he often hangs out with Ferrari team members. He mentioned that after Qualifying in the French GP, he hung out with the team members at night.

The Red Bull driver is currently in phenomenal form. No other driving is matching him in terms of form, and he topped it off with a mesmerizing drive at the Belgian GP last weekend. Verstappen started the race in P14 but it turned out to be one of his most comfortable race wins ever.

Verstappen is gearing up for his home race this weekend as F1 travels to Zandvoort for the 2022 Dutch GP.

Also read: Sebastian Vettel is helping Aston Martin in improving the car for his $20 Million a year replacement