Verstappen about competitor: "Be sure they're going to make more progress soon"

It has of course been known for some time that Max Verstappen has been driving for a top team (Red Bull) in Formula 1 from a young age. The ambitions to become world champion were growing, but Red Bull's car has never been dominant enough to compete at the front of the field on a permanent basis. A possible switch to another top team such as Ferrari, however, has never been there for Verstappen.

Of course Verstappen is secretly a bit happy that he isn't driving for Ferrari, now that the Italian team is in trouble. And disappointed that he never got a phone call from Mattia Binotto, he isn't : "I've never come close to signing", he says in converstation with La Gazzetta Dello Sport.

Despite the fact that Verstappen now has one less competitor he finds it a pity to see Ferrari so far behind the top times: "It's not nice for the sport to see Ferrari so far behind. But they have good people working in Maranello, so I'm sure they'll be making progress again soon".

Of course Verstappen also has ambitions for this season. And those ambitions are very clear: "Closing the gap with Mercedes. We've got a lot of chances."