Max Verstappen has all but quashed rumors that Fernando Alonso could join Red Bull next season, saying it would be a “strange” decision to sign a “42-year-old”.
Amid Red Bull's off-track drama, F1 rumors suggest Verstappen could leave the team at the end of this year and move to Mercedes alongside Alonso, who is expected to replace him.
“I think it's strange to sign a 42-year-old driver.”
However, it has been suggested that Aston Martin could take Sergio Perez's seat and create a line-up of world champions at Red Bull alongside Verstappen.
“Christian Horner has always been a big fan of Fernando Alonso,” former driver turned pundit Ralf Schumacher told Sky Deutschland. “Apparently there is a big intention behind it to have Fernando Alonso in the cockpit next year.”
The Spaniard is said to be working “very hard” to please the move as his contract with Aston Martin expires at the end of the season, according to Racing.
However, Verstappen believes he would be an “odd” choice for Red Bull, given that the team usually promotes from within.
“I don't care who sits next to me. I told the team that too,” he told De Limburger. “I have always believed in myself and in my opinion, I am everyone's boss.
“But if you ask me, it would be strange to sign a 42-year-old driver. Red Bull has always had a tradition of developing young drivers themselves. They broke away from that trend by signing a contract with a driver who is 20 years old.
“I'm working very well with Fernando and that's not a problem, but I'm also thinking about the future of the team. In the end, they (Red Bull) will decide who drives where. It depends.”
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Alonso is not the only driver mentioned in F1 rumors, with Toto Wolff hinting at the possibility of Verstappen moving to Mercedes, saying in a statement to the media that the 26-year-old “would love to sign”.
Verstappen admitted that he had held talks with Mercedes in the past before joining Red Bull, and believes Wolff's comments were expected given his success in F1, winning three world titles.
“He can't do anything else. I understand why he would do it. You can't ignore me,” he said.
“In the past, before Red Bull, we had discussions with Mercedes. And they said, 'You have to do this and that to be successful.' I think I've shown you how it should be done.
“They want me in that car, I understand that. Look, a few years ago, of course there was a little more tension between us and Mercedes…”
When asked to tell us “a little more” about it, he replied with a smile: But it can all be forgiven and forgotten. That applies to both sides.
“But that doesn't mean I think you should drive somewhere else right now. Moreover, Mercedes doesn't have the fastest car at the moment. That's exactly what Red Bull is.”
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