The driver market, even though we are only in May, already seems to be heating up. With Max Verstappen reportedly unhappy with the direction Formula 1 is taking, and especially with the gap Red Bull must close to Mercedes — the current championship leaders — it was easy to predict that his name would soon be linked with other teams.
We expected him to be associated with Ferrari at some point, but honestly, it feels a bit early for those rumours to emerge.
Once the story started to spread, social media quickly filled with all kinds of comments. One of the most popular reads: “If Verstappen joins Ferrari, they will win the championship.”
If only it were that simple. In that case, the Maranello team would likely have already fought for and possibly won titles in recent years. After all, Scuderia Ferrari has fielded world champions such as Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton.
Points do matter in the championship standings, but if we look at the bigger picture, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are perfectly capable of fighting for a world title — if they are given the opportunity to truly show it.
Not even Verstappen alone would change everything
Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time world champion and, beyond his raw performance, he brings enormous experience that provides valuable feedback to mechanics and engineers.
As for Charles Leclerc, during his seven seasons at Ferrari (almost eight by the end of this year), he has consistently demonstrated his talent, beating both world champions he has faced as teammates or rivals within the team: Sebastian Vettel early in his career, and now Lewis Hamilton.
Ferrari does not have a driver problem. Unfortunately, the cars built in Maranello from 2008 — the last year they won the Constructors’ Championship and 2007, when they last won the Drivers’ title with Kimi Raikkonen — until today have always had shortcomings.
There have been competitive seasons and less competitive ones, but for 18 years now Ferrari has not managed to build the perfect car, or more precisely, the best car on the grid.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are both drivers of exceptional quality. If they ever decided to leave the team — especially in the case of Leclerc — it would be completely understandable.
However, without a fast car, even if Ferrari were to manage to sign Max Verstappen, the situation would remain essentially the same. The Dutchman’s own start to the season in 2026, driving the RB22, already demonstrates this reality.
The ongoing speculation surrounding Max Verstappen’s future therefore highlights a common misconception in Formula 1: that a single driver can bridge the gap created by technical deficiencies. For Ferrari, the priority remains delivering a chassis capable of matching the talent of Hamilton and Leclerc, ensuring that the team’s historical legacy is backed by modern aerodynamic and mechanical performance.
