Max Verstappen joins Ferrari, Yuki Tsunoda to Red Bull in fantasy ‘fireworks’ grid

After Lewis Hamilton shocked the world by joining Ferrari, could Max Verstappen do the same?

Dutch pundit Tom Coronel placed Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton together at Ferrari for some “fireworks” as part of his fantasy F1 grid.

Verstappen and Hamilton have each enjoyed an era of F1 dominance and between them have won every Drivers’ title on offer since 2017. They even went head-to-head as title rivals in 2021, an all-time classic Formula 1 season, but what if they ended up driving for the same team?

Ferrari ‘fireworks’ claim with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton

Well, as Lewis Hamilton prepares to make his blockbuster move from Mercedes to Ferrari for F1 2025, Verstappen joining him there would create some “real fireworks”,  claimed Coronel, as he made some fantasy F1 driver move picks on the RacingNews365 podcast.

Other highlights saw Yuki Tsunoda finally get that shot in a Red Bull which he craves, alongside Liam Lawson, who is set to find out in September whether he has a Red Bull or VCARB seat on the way.

“I would put Yuki Tsunoda and Lawson together at Red Bull,” said Coronel.

“[Kimi] Antonelli and George Russell can then go to Mercedes and then there is room at Ferrari to put Hamilton and Verstappen side by side.

“Hamilton and Max in one team, that’s almost like Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. That would be real fireworks!”

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However, Coronel believes that Tsunoda has already cost himself a chance to race for the main Red Bull team, due to past antics which came across as a “bit childish”.

Team radio rage, and even road rage like his divebomb on team-mate Daniel Ricciardo on the 2024 Bahrain GP cooldown lap due to team orders frustration, could be seen as examples.

Tsunoda, into his fourth season with the second Red Bull team, is producing his most consistent and impressive form yet, but even with question marks swirling over the long-term future of Sergio Perez at Red Bull, Tsunoda has never emerged as a genuine contender in Red Bull’s thinking to replace him.

“If he had presented himself in a slightly different way, he would have been in a Red Bull long ago,” Coronel added, speaking to Formule 1 Magazine.

But, put him alongside Red Bull’s three-time World Champion Verstappen – who looks set to make it four – and Tsunoda believes he could make life difficult for the Dutchman.

“I think I can fight hard with him,” the Japanese driver told RacingNews365. “I won’t make life easy for him, for sure.

“Obviously, he’s very fast and he’s very consistent. So Drivers’ Championship-wise, I wouldn’t say I have massive confidence that I can straight away beat him in the Drivers’ Championship from the first year.”

Tsunoda sits P12 in the current F1 2024 Drivers’ Championship standings, having scored 22 of VCARB’s 34 points.

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