How Ferrari feel about signing Max Verstappen for 2026 amid Red Bull exit rumours and Lewis Hamilton struggles

Ferrari have recently emerged in the conversation about signing Max Verstappen for 2026. The Dutchman is being heavily linked with a move away from Red Bull.

The four-time champion has been linked with an exit from Milton Keynes since last season as internal conflict within the team caused numerous key personnel to leave, including Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley.

It was feared Verstappen would follow suit, but the 27-year-old stayed put and won his fourth title with the team in 2024. However, in 2025, speculation has been rife about his future as Verstappen is getting increasingly frustrated with Red Bull and their progression.

Despite winning the Japanese Grand Prix and claiming two pole positions, the Dutchman has been struggling to get to grips with the RB21. It is clear Red Bull have regressed in comparison to 2024, prompting rumours that Verstappen could leave before his contract expires in 2028.

Mercedes and Aston Martin have been mentioned the most in the pursuit for Verstappen, but the latter seem the most serious. Aston Martin have tabled a £1bn contract for the 27-year-old as they look to reunite him with Newey and Honda.

F1 fans want to see Verstappen join Aston Martin, but the four-time champion could also take a surprise sabbatical from F1 and return in 2027. If he were to do that, the door could open for Verstappen to join Ferrari.

Ferrari are ‘not pursuing’ Max Verstappen amid Red Bull exit rumours and Lewis Hamilton woes

The Maranello outfit have arguably the strongest driver line-up on the F1 grid at the moment with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. But so far in 2025, the pair have struggled for consistency.

Leclerc scored the team their first podium of the season in Jeddah, while Hamilton is desperately struggling at Ferrari with a loss of balance in the car and a huge pace deficit to his teammate.

Hamilton is contracted until 2026, with the team having the option to extend for 2027. That could present an opening for Verstappen, but journalist Edd Straw says Ferrari are ‘not pursuing’ the Dutchman at the moment as they are fully focused on their current drivers.

He said via The Race F1 Podcast: “Simply, the Max Verstappen speculation is about ’26 as well as ’27 and the reason that’s not speculation about Ferrari is they’re not pursuing him at the moment.

“There are pursuits of Verstappen in various forms going on elsewhere, but Ferrari have got Leclerc and Hamilton tied up and at the moment, it’s not going to change before ’27.

“So they’re not really in the game at the moment.”

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Could Lewis Hamilton leave Ferrari in 2026?

While Ferrari are not interested in Verstappen at the moment, the fact that he is being linked with the team already is concerning for Hamilton. He is not enjoying the start to life in Maranello he would have hoped for.

So much was expected of the seven-time world champion when he joined Ferrari in January. While he did win the Sprint in China, he has achieved a highest finish of fifth in Bahrain, with Saudi Arabia being a huge disappointment.

Hamilton was despondent in Jeddah as he struggled all weekend to find performance. The Brit finished over 30 seconds behind Leclerc in the race, ending Hamilton’s 168-race streak of finishing within that time frame to his teammate.

The 40-year-old’s contract with Ferrari is likely to be his last in F1, but he may not want to extend for another year if things do not improve. Jaime Alguersuari sees a sign Hamilton could leave in 2026 as the Maranello outfit are ‘not a winning team.’

Guenther Steiner has warned Ferrari about Hamilton losing confidence and how that would be the ‘worst thing’ besides his lack of pace. After looking utterly dejected in Jeddah, it is clear the team have work to do before Miami.