Max Verstappen isn’t concerned that Lewis Hamilton will be driving for Ferrari next season; he aims to beat “every driver from every car.”
After winning the 2021 World Championship against Hamilton, Verstappen went on to dominate Formula 1 in both 2022 and 2023. This season, he is the top contender for his fourth title, holding a 47-point lead in the Drivers’ standings.
Max Verstappen: It ‘doesn’t matter’ what car Lewis Hamilton races.
As for Hamilton, he has only won two Grands Prix since his title battle with Verstappen and will join Ferrari next season. The seven-time World Champion announced before the first race of this season that he would be leaving Mercedes after 12 years with the team to drive for Ferrari.
He expressed to the media in Brazil that he is “very interested” in seeing how Ferrari progresses, especially after their recent wins in Austin and Mexico, bringing their total for the season to five.
While everyone is eager to see what Hamilton and Ferrari can accomplish together next season, Verstappen is not among them.
When asked by Sport Bild if Hamilton joining Ferrari was ‘good or bad’ for him, Verstappen simply stated: “I don’t care.”
“Because I want to beat every driver from every car. It doesn’t matter to me whether Lewis is in the red or silver car.
“But I can understand that there is a lot of interest in his move. It’s a good thing for Formula 1. It will be interesting to see how he and Charles (Leclerc) work together within a team.”
When he was asked how he felt when he heard that Hamilton was leaving Mercedes for Ferrari, the Red Bull driver replied: “It didn’t really affect me. I had zero emotions.”
When Hamilton announced he would be driving for Ferrari, he talked about his childhood dream of racing in red.
“I think for every driver, growing up and watching the history, watching Michael Schumacher in his prime, probably all of us sit in our garage and see the screen pop up, and you see the driver in the red cockpit, and you wonder what it might be like to be surrounded by the red,” Hamilton said at that time.
Verstappen never felt that way.
“I see it pragmatically,” he explained. “I want to win. And I will want to drive where I have the best opportunity to do so. At the moment that is at Red Bull.
“But it’s not like I secretly dream of the red racing suit and have that thought constantly in my head because I’m looking for a new challenge. Especially since there are no free cockpits anyway.
“But of course, the Ferrari brand is incredible and it has achieved a lot in our sport. It makes sense that Lewis took the opportunity when it arose.”
Regarding his own future, which was rumored earlier this year when Mercedes showed interest in him as Hamilton’s replacement, Verstappen says he “never actually” thinks about what comes next.
“I’m happy with what I’m doing now and I want to keep doing it. I’m not looking for a change. That’s why speculation is unnecessary. I’m the one who ultimately has to decide. And at the moment I don’t see any need for action,” he said.
“I know exactly what is in my contract and what options there are. It is my duty to know that. You should never sign something you don’t know what it is. But I generally don’t talk about my contract in public.”
He emphasized that having a winning car is an important part of his plans for the future.
“Performance. I want to be in a car that I can drive for victories and World Championships. But it also depends on the environment. If you can’t identify with the team and the employees, it’s no fun,” he said.
