Ferrari 'making moves' for Max Verstappen as bombshell shared by ex-F1 team boss

Formula 1 legend and ex-team boss Giancarlo Minardi claims that Ferrari are making a stunning bid to sign Max Verstappen. Ferrari shocked the F1 world last year by snapping up seven-time drivers' champion Lewis Hamilton.

Now Verstappen, 27, is reportedly in their sights, despite confirming in July that he'll be staying at Red Bull for the 2026 season after having talks with Mercedes. "I think it's time to basically stop all the rumours, and for me it's always been quite clear that I was staying anyway," the Dutchman said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

But that hasn't stopped speculation surrounding his future. According to Minardi, founder of the F1 team by the same name, the Scuderia have "made moves" for Verstappen, who plans to drive a Ferrari in GT racing later this month.

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The former F1 manager told motorsport.it: "I believe Ferrari has made moves in that direction. As for whether he will come, I think his own words – 'I'm going because I want to win' – sent quite a negative signal toward Ferrari.

''In recent months, there's been a lot of talk, even secret negotiations, driver swaps that never went anywhere, so anything is possible. I think Ferrari is trying.''

Minardi's comments come after ex-Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine urged Verstappen to join the Scuderia, telling the four-time world champion not to 'leave it too late' like Hamilton, who's had a difficult first season in red.

Irvine, who raced for Ferrari across four seasons from 1996 to 1999, would even like to see Verstappen and Hamilton driving as team-mates.

"Back in my day, you had Michael [Schumacher] come, he was seen as by far the fastest driver," Irvine told Sky Sports. "Because of that, Rory Byrne came, Ross [Brawn] came, and that whole team was built around the fact that Michael was another world.

A bit like Verstappen is now, where if Verstappen went somewhere, he could take a lot of people. Without the whole system together, everyone's, you know, at the same level. It's tough, Formula 1's tough.

"Michael gave up a lot. Like, Michael probably gave up two, three, maybe even more world championships to leave Benetton to go [to Ferrari] because the first few years, people have no idea how bad it was at Ferrari.

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"Michael, he knew there was no point for him. He was so much better than everyone else. He just decided, 'I'm going to go there. I'm going to see what I can do,' which was amazing. And he got there.

"But people forget, it took four years. He was always in the vicinity, but it was just that you could see he was driving the wheels off the thing to try and be there. So, it was very easy for it not to happen.

"I would love Verstappen to come to Ferrari. I think the two of them together would be sensational. I hope he doesn't leave it too late like Lewis did."