Verstappen nixes idea of Hamilton joining Red Bull

40

Max Verstappen scoffed at the idea of Lewis Hamilton joining Red Bull Racing, a suggestion put forward by pundit Eddie Jordan earlier this week.

Jordan's view was that Hamilton should reject a new contract with Mercedes and instead team up with Verstappen at Red Bull.

But the Dutchman admitted to being baffled by the former team owner's unreal suggestion.

"Well, why would he do that? He also wants to win the championship, I want to win the championship," commented Verstappen.

"He tried to of course be at the right team, and at the moment he's at the right team to win the championship. But, yeah, let's see what happens."

Honda applies 'counter measures' following Verstappen issue

The Red Bull charger heads into this weekend's Russian Grand Prix with two consecutive retirements on the board, with both DNFs caused by an engine issue.

After Mugello, Honda applied counter measures to avoid a repeat of the problem that hit Verstappen, a diligent move that reassured the nine-time Grand Prix winner.

"I'm just very motivated to get started, again, but what was more important at the time was to understand the problems so we can solve them," he said.

"At the moment, we had three retirements in nine races so it's not very lovely. We just try to work on that and try to make sure it's not happening again.

While hoping for impeccable reliability at Sochi, Verstappen says the venue's layout is unlikely to favour Red Bull.

"It's never been an amazing weekend for us in terms of competitiveness, I think," he said. "So I don't expect any miracles.

"Of course there are a lot of long straights and a lot of 90 degree corners, which are very short corners, so you can't make a massive difference.

"So probably the guys behind, they will be a lot closer compared to Mugello. We'll see throughout the weekend how competitive we are going to be, but of course the aim is going to be to try and be on the podium."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.