F1 | Eddie Irvine sends a message to Max Verstappen about Ferrari. Eddie Irvine warns Max Verstappen about Ferrari.

Former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine, a four-time Formula 1 race winner with the Maranello team, has issued a strong message to Max Verstappen. According to the Northern Irishman, if the Dutch champion truly wants to make history with Ferrari, he must make his decision soon, avoiding the risk of arriving “too late” as Lewis Hamilton did.

The arrival of the seven-time World Champion in Maranello at the age of 40 was met with huge enthusiasm, but so far the results have not lived up to expectations. Hamilton currently trails Charles Leclerc by 46 points in the Drivers’ standings and has yet to score a podium in a Ferrari. For Irvine, the reason is clear: “The problem with Lewis is that he arrived a little too old. But he has won seven world titles, so there is always a price to pay,” he explained in an interview with Sky F1.

Verstappen like Schumacher?

Irvine has no doubts that Verstappen, a four-time World Champion, could have the same impact at Ferrari as Michael Schumacher once had. “I would love to see Verstappen in Ferrari,” admitted Irvine. “He is the strongest driver of his era, just like Michael was. He could change everything.”

The ex-Ferrari driver recalled how Schumacher’s move to Maranello attracted top engineers such as Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, laying the foundations for a dominant cycle that delivered five consecutive world championships. Irvine believes a similar process could happen again with Verstappen, but only if he decides to make the move without delaying too long.

The unique challenge of Ferrari

Irvine also highlighted the structural differences that make success at Maranello more difficult than at the British-based teams. “Ferrari has image and history, but it doesn’t have the technical cross-pollination you find in England, where so many teams work close together. In Italy they are more isolated, and it’s harder,” he explained. In his view, this makes it even more essential for Ferrari to attract a central figure capable of bringing in talent and uniting expertise, just as Schumacher did in the past.

The warning is crystal clear: if Max Verstappen wants to become a Ferrari icon and rewrite the history of Formula 1, he must not wait too long. Otherwise, he risks repeating the mistake made by Lewis Hamilton by joining the Scuderia too late in his career.