Max Verstappen was relentless in 2023 as he secured a record 19 wins from 22 races. Such has been his dominance on the track, thereby making him the hottest property every team would covet. Fortunately for Red Bull, they have him tied down with a long-term contract till 2028.
Verstappen currently has the longest contract among any of the drivers on the grid. He intends to stick around at Red Bull for the long haul with no wish to drive for another team.
However, there have been speculations on whether Max Verstappen would want to switch teams and win titles in Ferrari. While he was also linked with Mercedes in his early years, Ferrari becomes an intriguing prospect for any F1 driver. The Italian team’s boss, Frederic Vasseur, also won’t mind if such a scenario pans out in the future.
According to formu1a.uno, Vasseur spoke in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport’s magazine Sportweek about Verstappen coming to Maranello in the future. The Frenchman said, “Never say never.”
Vasseur then added, “I think that if you ask the 10 Team Principals on the grid, they would all be happy to have Max.” The three-time champion won’t potentially come on the drivers’ market before 2029, however. Hence, Ferrari will likely have to wait until then at least to have any chance of creating their dream driver line-up.
When will Ferrari look to extend Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s contracts?
Ferrari have been looking to renew the contracts of both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz for a while now. Both drivers have their contracts running out at the end of 2024. While Frederic Vasseur has voiced the need to get these contracts sorted, he has also shown a calm and patient approach.
Mercedes also showcased a similar patient approach while renewing Lewis Hamilton’s contract that was till the end of 2023. They waited until the mid-season in August to renew the 38-year-old’s contract for another two years at Brackley. This serves as the perfect precedent for Vasseur and Ferrari as well.
While there have been rumors of another mega five-year deal for Leclerc till the end of 2029, no confirmation has come of it yet. Vasseur certainly wants Leclerc on the team but may look to negotiate with the Monegasque about the duration and monetary aspect of the contract. The Frenchman is also likely to do the same with Sainz.
The Italian outfit initially planned to renew the contracts of both Sainz and Leclerc before 2023 ended. However, Vasseur’s patient approach may have probably delayed this renewal timeline. The Frenchman could now follow Mercedes’ tactic of waiting till the mid-season in 2024 to get both contract negotiations done.
