"But I also say never say never" - Ferrari boss comments on signing Max Verstappen in the future

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur hinted at Red Bull driver and world champion Max Verstappen making his way to the Italian outfit in the future F1 seasons.

Verstappen has been driving for Red Bull since the 2016 season and the pair have achieved milestones recently in the sport. The 2023 season saw a massive domination by the team, winning all but one race throughout the season. Verstappen won 19 out of the 22 races and set history by setting multiple new records.

He is tied with the team till the 2028 F1 season. It has been a matter of great interest among fans and analysts of the sport to foresee his future in the sport after that.

While some predict that he might move away, others see a possibility of him shifting teams. A journalist asked one similar question to Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, who revealed that the entire grid would be happy to have Max Verstappen drive for them.

"I believe that if the same question were asked to the ten Team Principals on the grid, they would all be happy to have him on the team," f1ingenerale.com quoted him as saying.

The Ferrari boss explained that Max Verstappen is tied with RBR for the upcoming seasons. Meanwhile, it is more important for them to look after their performance and stay competitive. Vasseur also ended with a slight hint of a potential move.

"Max has a contract until 2026 with Red Bull. We need to focus on ourselves so as not to lose energy and work on our own things, thinking about who is on the team," he said.

"It's not just a question of drivers, but we need to look at the whole. So, to date, it is not an aspect we need to discuss. But I also say: never say never," he added.

Ferrari is currently tied up with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz for the 2024 season. After finishing third in the previous season, the Italian outfit looks forward to improving their pace to battle at the top for wins.

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Max Verstappen suggests areas of improvement for Red Bull in the 2024 F1 season

Despite the utter show of dominance the Austrian team had over the grid in the previous season, the three-time world champion believes there is room for improvement.

Max Verstappen feels there still are weaknesses in the car, highlighting the race they had in Singapore and Las Vegas. He feels that street circuits are not the strongest part of the car currently.

"Of course there are [weaknesses]," F1 quoted him as saying. "Look at our race weekend in Singapore. In general, on street circuits, I think we are struggling a bit more, like in Vegas also."

"Low-speed is definitely not our strongest point in the car, [going over] bumps, kerbs as well, so that’s definitely a big area where we can improve," he added.

Singapore was the only race that a Red Bull car did not win throughout the season. Carlos Sainz emerged victorious, adding another win to his F1 tally. Las Vegas, meanwhile, saw a strong battle between Sergio Perez's RB19 and Charles Leclerc's Ferrari. The latter made an amazing move on the last lap to claim second position in the race and was separated by Max Verstappen at the top by a little over two seconds.