Max Verstappen swap to Racing Bulls dismissed as ‘joke’

Fernando Alonso quipped at Zandvoort that Max Verstappen might already be champion again if he was driving a Racing Bulls rather than a Red Bull.

The remark came after Isack Hadjar’s maiden podium in the Faenza-built car also raced by Liam Lawson. Verstappen, who finished second, admitted the senior team’s machine is falling short.

"Of course I'm happy to be on the podium," he told Viaplay. "But in terms of speed, it wasn't good. Third place was solely due to qualifying." He only gained second place when Lando Norris retired. "We were battling with Racing Bulls, our smaller team, the whole race," Verstappen explained. "It's not good. The car is just not fast enough."

Marko agreed the gap to McLaren is daunting. He told Osterreich the deficit at Zandvoort was "huge - a second per lap" had Norris and Oscar Piastri pushed flat out.

That led to a tongue-in-cheek suggestion Verstappen should swap into a Racing Bulls to chase his fifth crown.

"I guess we're joking about it, like everyone else," said Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer. "But at the end of the day, we're two teams that operate differently, and it's not really an issue. It's more of a running joke for everyone, but it's like flying to the moon - it's just not something that's going to happen."

Team boss Alan Permane also laughed off the idea that Verstappen might at least sample the car.

"Someone asked me about it this weekend," he revealed. "Whether Max will be with us in FP1. Of course not. We're focused on getting the most out of our car, just as Red Bull is focused on getting the most out of theirs."

Still, with Hadjar finishing just a few seconds behind Verstappen on Sunday, speculation persists about whether the rookie would be free to attack the senior team.

"If he was not allowed to try to overtake Verstappen, it would be a violation of the regulations," insisted Red Bull principal Laurent Mekies. "So the answer is yes, of course, Hadjar is allowed to attack the Red Bull cars."