Max Verstappen teased a crowd of Formula 1 fans at the Italian Grand Prix with a comment which suggests where his future one day might be.
The Dutchman is a four-time F1 drivers' champion with a quartet of titles won on the bounce with Red Bull between 2021 and 2024.
In the aftermath of his memorable first title win in 2021 which saw him edge out Lewis Hamilton after a highly controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen committed his future to Red Bull with a contract running until 2028.
However, Verstappen appears highly unlikely to win a fifth title this season following McLaren being the class of the field in 2025.
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Verstappen currently sits 104 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, with either the Australian or his team-mate Lando Norris set to be the new drivers' champion this year.
The Dutchman has still managed to win two races this year though and has stood on the podium a total of six times.
Verstappen will start tomorrow's Italian Grand Prix at Monza on pole after beating both Norris and Piastri in qualifying this afternoon to set up an intriguing race in prospect.
The 27-year-old was happy to come out on top during a very tight qualifying session and is prepared to give his best at what he feels has never been an optimal circuit for him.
He said: "I think around here with the low downforce it’s always very difficult to nail the lap, under braking it's very easy to make mistakes.
"Q3 felt good and I'm happy with the laps and to be on pole here for us is also fantastic. The car has been working better the whole weekend and to be able to fight for pole, I'm very happy with that.
"It was tight, we were still lacking a tiny amount and we made some final changes which I think allowed me to push a bit more and that's exactly what you need in qualifying. For us, it's a great moment.
"Historically this season the race has always been a little bit more complicated for us, but we are going to give it everything we have.
"That's the only thing we can do and then we will see what happens tomorrow."
Recently, Verstappen confirmed he will be racing for Red Bull next season after he was strongly linked with a move to Mercedes for 2026, when new rules will be coming into force.
The engines will be redesigned to deliver more power from electrical energy, with Mercedes rumoured to be leading the way on this front and tipped to deliver the best power unit, as they did with the last revamp back in 2014 which signalled several years of dominance.
Verstappen's future for 2027 has question marks surrounding it - but the Dutchman teased where he might see his future one day at a fan event at his weekend's Grand Prix at Monza.
He said: "I don't have any reason yet to actually learn Italian, but I don't know, maybe."
And with the event taking place at the Italian Grand Prix, it meant Verstappen said this in front of a sea of red due to Monza being the home of the Tifosi - the name of Ferrari's passionate fans.
Ferrari are the most legendary and successful team in the history of F1, with 15 Drivers' Championships and 16 Constructors' Championships, and any driver who has not driven for the Scuderia would likely say it would be a career goal to drive for that team one day.
Ferrari currently have Hamilton and Charles Leclerc as their drivers - but with the former closer to the end of his career than the start, it is not beyond the question that Verstappen could replace Hamilton at Ferrari in 2027 if the Englishman calls it a day at the end of 2026.
Topics: Ferrari, Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Motorsport
John McDougall