Audi F1 boss admits he wants 'friend' Max Verstappen to drive for him

Max Verstappen in Brazil — Photo: © IMAGO

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Audi F1 boss admits he wants 'friend' Max Verstappen to drive for him

Audi will take over Sauber in 2026

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 15 November 2025 14:10 Updated: 16:35

F1 team principal Jonathan Wheatley has admitted that he would love his friend Max Verstappen to come and drive for his Audi team.

The Dutchman is, obviously, the most in-demand driver on the grid right now. However, Wheatley admitted that even his 'fortunate position' of being friends with Verstappen and his father might not draw the Dutchman over to the newly minter Audi team.

Not only is the 28-year-old a four-time world champion, but has proven that regardless of whether he is in a championship winning car or not, he can still win races.

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If one man knows just how good Max Verstappen is, it’s his former colleague and Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, who is now in the role of Sauber team principal.

Wheatley targets Verstappen

“Yes, I want Max Verstappen to drive our car, what kind of team principal would I be if I didn't want that?" Wheatley said. “I'm in the fortunate position of having been friends with Max for a long time, but also with his father, Jos, and manager, Raymond.

“And such a friendship develops because you're always honest and you never betray the trust you've built. But I don't think that's enough right now to directly link Verstappen to a Formula 1 seat at Audi.”

Of course, Audi are a long way off becoming a championship winning team, with Wheatley not expecting them to become a race winning outfit as soon as next season.

Despite all Verstappen has achieved in F1, he remains only 28-years-old with plenty of longevity left in the sport; and Audi are intent on making a name for themselves in the sport.

Audi are deeply committed to F1 and will produce their own chassis and power unit from 2026, operating from three bases in Hinwil (where their team and chassis operations will be located), Neuburg (their power unit base) and Bicester in the UK.

Anyway, in five years time, who knows which team will sit atop the championship order or contain the promise to lure Verstappen to their side?

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