Ferrari's Binotto: No interest in Verstappen for 2020

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto has no intention of offering a drive to Max Verstappen for 2020, insisting the Scuderia's current line-up will remain intact for next season.

Before last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, gossip in the paddock alluded to a performance clause in Verstappen's contract with Red Bull that could make the Dutchman a free agent at the end of the year.

Verstappen's win in Spielberg will have perhaps gone a long way towards rendering such a hypothesis very improbable.

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Still, Binotto was asked by Sky F1 if Ferrari had set its sights on bringing Verstappen to Maranello and replacing Sebastian Vettel.

"No certainly not and I can only confirm what Seb said," said the Scuderia boss.

"We’ve got two drivers, we’ve got contracts in place and we are very happy.

"Next season our line-up is fixed and there are no reasons why we should change. I think things are going well in that respect."

While Binotto felt that Sunday's post-race investigation of Verstappen's actions in the closing stages of the Austrian Grand Prix should have handed the win to Charles Leclerc, the Swiss said that the Monegasque's time will soon come.

"Certainly he's sorry for the outcome, I think after qualifying yesterday it was somehow very optimistic and after the first laps of the race he was controlling the race and saw himself in a good position," said Binotto.

"But that's what's good in the sport, the chequered flag is only at the end of the race, and anything may happen.

"So I think he's simply looking ahead at the next races as a new challenge and he's very hungry, so I'm pretty sure sooner or later it will be his time."

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