Speculation continues to swirl around the future of 18-year-old F1 rookie sensation Max Verstappen, with reports suggesting that the youngster is Maranello bound when Kimi Raikkonen decides to quit.
Red Bull - although occupied with the greater concern about finding power units for 2016 - is yet to officially declare the driver lineups for the senior and junior teams in 2016.
It leaves open the possibility that Dutchman Verstappen could be promoted from Toro Rosso, but his father Jos told Brazil's Globo: "I think Max will stay here for another year to gain experience and then think about changing teams to get a better car for 2017."
Pino Allievi, the highly experienced F1 correspondent for La Gazzetta dello Sport, claims there is actually a chance Verstappen is being lined up by Ferrari to replace Raikkonen.
The young Dutchman has impressed with his feisty performances and has proven not to be shy of a daring move or two and of late making them stick the process.
In Austin, Verstappen went toe-to-toe with Raikkonen and came out looking better of the two, with the veteran Ferrari driver crashing out of the race while the teenager romped to a sensational fourth place
Former double world champion Mika Hakkinen, a recent critic of countryman Raikkonen's performances at Ferrari, told Ilta Sanomat newspaper: "It should be remembered that Ferrari is a team that can make very fast and unexpected decisions."
The foundation of Verstappen's move to Ferrari could be laid next year, when Toro Rosso is expected to use the Italian marque's 2015-spec power unit.
However, amid Raikkonen's woeful performances in recent races, there is a whisper in the paddock that the Finn is fast losing support within the highest ranking bosses within the Italian team and may well be out the door sooner than expected.
He even admitted that he needs to up his game in an interview with the official F1 website, "I am disappointed myself that it didn’t go so well at certain points, but we are moving in the right direction.
And added, "A lot of good things are happening and the results overall show, even though my personal results have not been ideal for many reasons. I am sure we can fix all that in the next year."
His biggest allies are Sebastian Vettel and Maurizio Arrivabene, but if the veteran 228 grands prix starts does not up his game in the remaining races things could change. Watch this space...
Latest News
Loading
