Winless F1 team principal confirms that he wants Max Verstappen in one of his cars

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Max Verstappen will be on the market next year if Red Bull don’t deliver a contending car. That much is now abundantly clear.

Though his contract runs until the end of 2028, Verstappen can activate an exit clause if he’s outside the top two in the championship at an established juncture of the season. This year, he only had to be in the top three.

Verstappen wants to finish his career at Red Bull but his desire to win outweighs his loyalty to the team. As they build their own engine for the first time, the team’s prospects are more uncertain than ever.

Mercedes have led the race for Verstappen so far, with the Silver Arrows publicly acknowledging that talks took place this year. Aston Martin have also been linked, but another long-term option may now be emerging.

‘Yes, I want Max Verstappen’ – Jonathan Wheatley lays out Audi dream

Speaking to De Telegraaf, Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley confirmed that he’d like to sign Verstappen. He says he wouldn’t be doing his job properly otherwise.

Wheatley was a long-serving employee at Red Bull before Audi poached him to lead their F1 project, which begins next year. He was present when Verstappen arrived and helped him win all four of his world championships to date.

The Englishman has formed a close bond with F1’s most coveted driver, as well as his camp. But Audi need to start winning races before they can even enter the conversation.

“Yes, I want Max Verstappen to drive our car,” a smiling Wheatley said. “What kind of team principal would I be if I didn’t want that? I’m in the fortunate position of having been friends with Max for a long time, but also with his father, Jos, and manager, Raymond.

“And such a friendship develops because you’re always honest and you never betray the trust you’ve built. But I don’t think that’s enough right now to directly link Verstappen to a Formula 1 seat at Audi.”

Jonathan Wheatley reveals the biggest difference between Audi and Red Bull

Audi want to win the F1 title by 2030, the kind of statement that could come back to haunt them. But Wheatley says it’s ‘definitely’ an achievable goal for the German giants.

F1 currently has a clearly defined top four, though the likes of Aston Martin and Williams are aiming to break into this bracket under the new regulations.

According to Wheatley, Audi must match their strength in depth off track before they start achieving similar results on it.

“We want to fight with teams like McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull,” he said. “They’ve been around for a long time, have achieved a lot of success, and have very good people working throughout the organisation.

• READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the Audi F1 team including livery announcement and driver line-up

“I’m not saying we don’t have that, but we still need to get to that level. Someone misses a race for whatever reason, and someone just as talented is immediately ready to take over.

“Audi’s investment is fantastic, and the goal of fighting for the title by 2030 is aggressive, but in my opinion, definitely achievable.”

Wheatley has made a strong start as Sauber team principal, with the Swiss outfit still in contention for a top-six finish. Nico Hulkenberg’s Silverstone podium, their first since 2012, was unquestionably the highlight.