Massa calls on Red Bull: 'Verstappen deserves a better car!

Felipe Massa has warned Red Bull that if Max Verstappen leaves the Austrian team in the future, they will have a "big problem as a company".

The Dutchman's most recent race weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix was a disappointing one, as he was only able to finish in P6 as he had many troubles with the RB21, finding difficult to control.

After the race, Verstappen expressed that he was "not interested" in the post-Grand Prix debrief with the team. Rumours have been circulating for some time that Verstappen's future may not lie with Red Bull Racing either, with Mercedes and Toto Wolff clearly interested in bringing the Dutchman in.

Massa discusses Verstappen's future at Red Bull Racing

“If Verstappen leaves Red Bull, maybe Red Bull will have a big problem," Massa told Viaplay. "I don’t think he will go to Ferrari anytime soon, but he could leave Red Bull.

"I don’t know when – maybe next year, maybe a bit later. But all I can say is that he is impressive. I mean, he is a really good driver. What he does with that car that he has… I also believe that if Max leaves Red Bull, Red Bull will have a huge problem."

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Massa: 'Verstappen deserves a better car than the RB21

The former Ferrari driver then continued on, saying that the car that Versappen is currently sitting in should be far greater, wasting the Dutchman's potential in the process.

"Max deserves everything he is showing. He is showing more than what the car can actually do. That is really impressive. As a driver, you understand what it's like to drive such a car, you understand what it takes to race in Formula 1, and you understand that you are fighting against the best and competing against the best.

"What Max is doing is really impressive. He is definitely the best driver on the grid. He deserves to have a better car, too," concluded Massa.

This article was written in collaboration with Estéban den Toom