Verstappen: Isn't Lewis an Arsenal fan? I'm PSV so I'd never buy Ajax

An avid Arsenal fan, Hamilton and good his good mate Serene Williams have been named as part of a consortium headed by Sir Martin Broughton aiming to buy the west London club formerly owned by Roman Abramovich.

Verstappen told PA Media: “I am a PSV fan and I would never buy Ajax and if I was to buy a football club I would want to be the full owner and to make the decisions myself, not own just a tiny percentage.

“I thought he was an Arsenal fan? And if you are an Arsenal fan going for Chelsea, that is quite interesting. But everyone does what they want with their money so let’s see what comes out of it.”

But Verstappen is not at Imola - Ferrari's front yard and circuit named by their founder Enzo and his son Dino - for the triviality of soccer but rather for the serious business of defending his #1 plate which is already under serious threat.

Two DNFs in the first three races have Verstappen and his Red Bull team on the back foot. They have a potent car in the RB18 but engine reliability is proving to be its Achilles heel. He is already chasing Leclerc's 46 point lead over him.

The two 24-year-olds have set the pace in all three races so far when the Red Bull is working of course. Because of that F1 fans have been treated to enthralling battles between the pair, and wheel-to-wheel duels with great respect (so far) between the pair who have rubbed paint since their karting days.

In stark contrast, Lewis Hamilton versus Verstappen last year was quite the opposite, the pair inevitably touching or colliding when they battled for the same piece of tarmac, respect out of the window.

But Verstappen claims his behaviour is no different towards his rivals no matter who they are, and told reporters ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: "I race exactly like I always race because that is how I am.

“Everyone is different in their defence or their attack, and so far Charles and I race very well together because we know where we want to place the car and how much room we need to leave each other.

"That works out really well for both of us. Charles is aggressive, too, and you can clearly see that. We have nice battles, but we don’t touch," explained Verstappen.

With Mercedes struggling to this point of the season, Hamilton, the last of the Old Guard, has not been in the mix allowing the sport's two brightest Young Guns to go at it on centre stage.

Verstappen continued: “It's good to have two young guys fighting up the front in different cars and it's good for Formula 1 that the young guys are taking over a bit.

“It just shows that it is hard to get things right. Sometimes you nail a certain regulation and it always seems like you know and understand why that is. But clearly that is not always the case. Sometimes it is hit and miss, and with these new regulations, Ferrari have started really well.

"Now it is up to us to close the gap," reasoned Verstappen who last year scored a commanding victory at Imola, bettering all in a chaotic race. This year he will be targeting the same result, albeit with a great deal more pressure than before.