Ferrari, Mercedes wouldn't want Verstappen - Ecclestone

Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes Max Verstappen will struggle to find a seat with the sport's two biggest teams, as the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton would refuse to race alongside him. Daniel Ricciardo's decision to leave Red Bull was reportedly rooted in dissatisfaction with his standing compared to Verstappen in the team.

Verstappen has made a splash like few drivers previously - an impact only magnified by his record-breaking Red Bull debut win at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

He has been strongly linked in the past to Mercedes, who are reported to have twice made bids for the Dutchman in the past, and Toto Wolff has said that an offer for Verstappen could materialise in 2021.

Speaking to 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg on his 'Beyond Victory' podcast, Ecclestone believes Verstappen may struggle to find a winning seat if he were to leave Red Bull - it has been reported that he has an exit clause in his deal if Honda cannot deliver a strong enough power unit in 2019.

"I don't think any of the world champions would want to have him in the team," Ecclestone said.

"I think he'd have a bigger job getting a seat in a [leading] team than Fernando [Alonso] has.

"I don't think Ferrari would welcome him with open arms or Mercedes."

When Rosberg replied sceptically, Ecclestone added: "Put it this way, you wouldn't be delighted if you were in a team... forget the word number one but assume you were the top guy in the team and someone says 'the guy who's going to drive the other car is Verstappen'.

"That's a different story. Sebastian wouldn't want him, Lewis wouldn't want him."