Max Verstappen shuts down question as he eyes third world title – ‘You shouldn’t ask that’ | F1 | Sport

Max Verstappen has shut down a question about whether he will form part of an all-Dutch line-up at Red Bull alongside Nyck de Vries in the future. De Vries is set to give up his role as a Mercedes reserve driver to race for Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri from the start of next season.

De Vries has made FP1 appearances for Mercedes, Aston Martin and Williams this year. And he made his full F1 debut at the age of 27 at the Italian Grand Prix last month as he stood in for Williams driver Alex Albon, who was unwell. De Vries impressed as he finished among the points and later penned a deal to join AlphaTauri.

With Verstappen the only Dutchman currently occupying one of the 20 seats in F1, there has been speculation that he and De Vries could link up at Red Bull in the coming years. But the 25-year-old was unwilling to entertain the idea when the question was put to him in an interview.

“You shouldn’t ask me that,” Verstappen told Viaplay. “That also depends on what happens next to me with, for example, Checo [Sergio Perez], as long as he continues to perform well. But first let’s just enjoy two Dutchmen in Formula One.”

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Verstappen will be eagerly awaiting De Vries’ F1 arrival with Williams. And the two-time champion admits he is delighted for his compatriot. “He now has a seat for the coming years and that is very nice,” the Red Bull ace added.

“What I also like is that he grabbed that one opportunity with both hands. He immediately scored points and I am very happy for him. I am also sure that he can learn well at AlphaTauri. That is also a very nice team and hopefully also a competitive team. It is of course also just about being able to fight for those points.”