After winning 16 races and securing his third world title this season, Max Verstappen has little to prove in the remaining two races in 2023. Whilst Red Bull has already secured the constructor’s title after Verstappen’s dominant run, the sister team could use some help from the Dutch Lion to prevent a potential loss of millions in the constructor’s standings.

Even though Daniel Ricciardo‘s P7 at the Mexican GP boosted their chances of catching up to Williams, if Max Verstappen steps into the AT04, it could either go brilliantly for Alpha Tauri or become a nightmare for Verstappen’s credibility if he failed to deliver.

Max Verstappen will not help Alpha Tauri fight their battle

But unfortunately, the Honey Badger fans who would love to see Ricciardo and Verstappen swap places, even if only for two races, will be disappointed to find out what the Dutchman thinks of the whole situation.

Max: There was a rumour that I was going to drive the Alpha Tauri. I was like, “Excuse me?” I don’t know what people come up with, too much time on their hands. Of course I wouldn’t drive it.
byu/OutlandishnessPure2 informula1

In a clip shared on Reddit, Max Verstappen was talking to his viewers and fellow sim racers when he brought up the ridiculous rumour, “There was a rumour that I was going to drive the Alpha Tauri. I was like, ‘Excuse me?’ I don’t know what people come up with, too much time on their hands. Of course, I wouldn’t drive it.” He also told Sky Sports F1 earlier this week when asked about the rumours, “Luckily, I didn’t see them and I didn’t read them.”

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Verstappen and Ricciardo would have given us a repeat of Russell’s debut with the Mercedes after Hamilton was caught out with Covid-19 for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, but while Ricciardo and Alpha Tauri stand to gain everything from such a swap, there’s not much in it for the three-time champion to dismantle his win rate this year.

“It’s Like Driving Next to Terminator”: Christian Horner Implicitly Agrees to Red Bull’s 2nd Driver Allegations

While Max Verstappen is quick to shoot down any rumours and has much more control over the media’s narrative through his dominant performances, Sergio Perez does not have that privilege.

Sergio Perez or Daniel Ricciardo? Who would Verstappen prefer to be alongside him in 2024?

While Sergio Perez has been a significantly better teammate to Verstappen than his former compatriots, he hasn’t been able to escape Helmut Marko’s wrath. To be fair, Perez is more than double the points behind his teammate, and it has brought Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso into the mix. Though the Spaniard had denied the rumours, Ricciardo is indeed a solid option.

But when it comes to Verstappen’s preference, he’s had his fair share of love and hatred for both Perez and Ricciardo. This is why the Dutch lion is unfazed by the prospect of his teammate changing, he was quoted by PlanetF1, “I always find with these kinds of things whatever I respond people take it out of context,” he said, “because I have a great relationship with Checo and if that stays for the coming year also fine, like that’s great.” – after all, the Mexican Minister of Defence famously defended Lewis Hamilton’s charge at the 2021 title decider in Abu Dhabi.

On the other hand, even though Ricciardo and Verstappen had the temperature rising during their time as teammates, Verstappen would welcome the Honey Badger with open arms, “Of course, Daniel, he’s in AlphaTauri and he’s hoping of course to get into Red Bull. If he is my team-mate we also get along very well. We have a lot of history together and that would work fine as well.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Will Daniel Ricciardo Get Swapped in for Sergio Perez at Red Bull?

“But luckily, it’s also not up to me to decide these kinds of things”–Verstappen concluded that he’s grateful it’s in the hands of Helmut Marko and Christian Horner to decide such things!