Max Verstappen dismisses Isack Hadjar’s claim Ferrari would be no match for Red Bull teammate in Singapore

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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has firmly shut down the swirling debate sparked by teammate Isack Hadjar, who boldly asserted that Verstappen would have cruised to a more commanding victory had he been behind the wheel of a Ferrari at the Singapore Grand Prix. Hadjar stated, “I think if you put Max in the Ferrari, he would have won the race with more margin. In Singapore, I think [Ferrari] was the fastest car.” This provocative comment ignited immediate backlash from Ferrari’s camp.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was quick to label Hadjar’s remark as “nonsense to start saying these kind of things,” emphasizing a fundamental disconnect. “I mean, Isack has no idea what kind of car we drive, and I have no idea what kind of car he drives,” Leclerc retorted, dismissing the speculation as baseless.

Meanwhile, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton took a more measured stance, acknowledging the difference in opinions between himself and Hadjar without fueling the controversy further.

When pressed on the issue at the Circuit of the Americas, Verstappen himself appeared unimpressed by the fuss, describing the entire debate as overblown. “Yeah, I don’t know. Fun debate,” Verstappen said. “I mean, we’re stressing about something that doesn’t matter, right? He said it, but okay well, let him say that, right? Like, you’re constantly trying to agitate people with it instead of just letting it be. That’s what I normally do. I’m like, whatever. Life goes on. Tomorrow is another day.”

Verstappen also acknowledged Ferrari’s speed in Singapore, conceding, “They were very fast.” However, when asked if his qualifying lap beating Ferrari was something extraordinary, the four-time world champion sided with Leclerc’s dismissal of the ongoing speculation as “nonsense.” “It was a good qualifying lap. I’m never going to say that it’s anything special because it can always be better. But yeah, I felt good. I felt good with my car,” Verstappen explained.

He added a critical perspective on the entire debate’s futility: “It’s impossible for me to know or say how good a Ferrari is because I’ve not driven that car. That’s why these debates are just nonsense.”

This exchange underscores the lingering tension between Red Bull and Ferrari as the 2024 season unfolds, with rivalries flaring not just on the track but also in the media. Yet Verstappen’s pragmatic response aims to defuse the situation, focusing instead on performance rather than speculative comparisons.