Ferrari should send a “blank cheque” to Max Verstappen’s agent for a “three-tenths” gain, says F1 pundit Tom Coronel

Ferrari has been told by F1 pundit Tom Coronel to send Max Verstappen a blank cheque because of the 'three-tenths' gain he brings to every car. The Italian team is the closest challenger to Red Bull this season, especially after a 1-2 finish in Australia.

Red Bull, though, continue to be a dominant force in F1 and will be the favorite to win once again as the bandwagon reaches Japan next week. Amidst all that, the impact of Max Verstappen is undeniable. The Dutch driver has shown an impeccable level of talent and consistency in the car in the last few years.

He has broken plenty of records and amassed more than 50 wins. Ferrari, meanwhile, have signed Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season. The F1 legend will leave Mercedes and join the Prancing Horse in a bid to win a record eighth title.

Dutch driver Tom Coronel feels the Italian team should send a blank cheque to Max Verstappen's agent. Talking to Viaplay, he said:

“The only thing (Fred) Vasseur has to do to be disruptive and to be better known and bigger than the Pope is to send a blank cheque to (Verstappen’s manager) Raymond Vermeulen. Just blank. ‘You fill it in, but he drives for me.'”

His fellow Viaplay analyst Kees van de Grint agreed and said that Max Verstappen brings something in the vicinity of three-tenths to a car, which is priceless:

“It’s never too expensive. Three-tenths, it costs so much money to find three-tenths in the car. No matter which other driver you take, you always have that handicap.

"They (Red Bull) always have that advantage. They always put down those two or three-tenths.”

Coronel chipped in:

“Those three-tenths, you just have them when you have a Max.”

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Sebastian Vettel on the possibility of Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull

Talking to Bild after his testing session with Porsche, Sebastian Vettel was asked about the possibility of Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull.

The German, a former Red Bull driver, said that there's a lot of unrest with the team. Nevertheless, the F1 legend feels there's no sporting reason for the Dutch driver to leave Red Bull:

“There is, of course, a lot of unrest at the moment, but I think from a sporting perspective, there is currently no reason for him to think about anything else.”

It will be interesting to see if Verstappen takes a call to switch bases, and if he does, could Ferrari be an option? For now, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in the squad, the Italian team won't be looking at any other option.