Max Verstappen issues BOLD F1 update over shock rival signing reports

max verstappen, red bull, mclaren, aston martin, mercedes, graphic — Photo: © IMAGO

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Verstappen issues BOLD update over shock rival signing reports

Four-time champion Max Verstappen has responded to a rumoured F1 signing

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 30 January 2025 09:12

Max Verstappen has delivered an update after shock reports emerged regarding a signing to a rival team.

The Dutchman has been subject to several team switch rumours over the past year, with Red Bull’s issues on and off track in 2024 prompting Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, to publicly vie for Verstappen’s signature.

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Recently, reports suggested that Aston Martin were close to signing the champion, however these claims have been strongly denied by the team since they emerged.

Verstappen himself has also revealed no intention of switching teams, celebrating his fourth world title with the team in 2024 and committing to his contract that is set to expire in 2028.

Could we see Max Verstappen join a rival team?

Max Verstappen earned his fourth world title with Red Bull in 2024

Will Verstappen switch to a rival F1 team?

Verstappen is not the only Dutch driver to be tied to a rival F1 team, with former AlphaTauri and Red Bull star, Nyck de Vries, also rumoured to make a team switch.

De Vries only managed half a season in F1, before he was axed midway through 2023 by Red Bull bosses and replaced with Daniel Ricciardo.

The 29-year-old has been tipped to join McLaren as their reserve driver in 2025, after he completed a test with the team last season.

De Vries was originally signed to the McLaren Young Driver Programme in 2010, which he left in 2019 to focus on his duties with the Audi Sport Academy.

However, Verstappen fought McLaren and Lando Norris for the title in 2024, and whilst he won the drivers’ title, McLaren were victorious in the constructors’ championship, a crown Red Bull are eager to retrieve.

McLaren have not confirmed who will comprise their reserve driver lineup in 2025, but Verstappen discussed the rumours regarding De Vries and provided a huge update, whilst teasing the potential of a future rivalry with his fellow Dutchman.

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