Aston Martin has been speculated to have told prospective Formula 1 sponsors that it will be signing Max Verstappen. But while the claim was soon denied, such reports are bound to become a common occurrence when the team’s interest turning into a concrete approach now appears inevitable.
The latest report linking Verstappen with a move materialised earlier this week when the Daily Mail wrote that Aston Martin, in an attempt to drum up more sponsor revenue, had been stating that Verstappen was involved in the team’s long-term planning.
There was little surprise then when Aston Martin moved to dismiss the contents in the British outlet’s article, which suggested that the group was prepared to give Verstappen a package totalling a gargantuan £1 billion.
Verstappen seemed destined to conclude his F1 career with Red Bull when, having secured his maiden title in dramatic fashion at the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi, his vocal desire to remain with the team translated into a long-term contract extension through 2028.
That mutual bond ought to have been strengthened last season as Verstappen achieved 10 victories en route to clinching his fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship with two rounds remaining.
Instead, the previous campaign witnessed cracks begin to show in the impregnable relationship that has existed since 2014 amid a turbulent time on and off the track.
Red Bull was tipped to compel the competition to slim pickings again as it retained a considerable advantage in the initial exchanges, Verstappen heading three 1-2 finishes in the opening four races alone.
However, the spotlight on the team wasn’t on Verstappen’s success, but rather on the developments regarding an investigation conducted into allegations against Red Bull boss Christian Horner and his behaviour.
He was exonerated once the internal probe was completed, but the matter continued to provide an overriding talking point as Jos Verstappen, Max’s father, claimed Red Bull could be “torn apart” should Horner remain.
Verstappen dealt with the inevitable questions that he received in a diplomatic matter despite being caught between a rock and a hard place, not wanting to exacerbate a tense situation that had created a power struggle between the factions in Red Bull.
Red Bull lose instrumental senior figures
The reigning F1 champion insisted the most important thing was that the circumstances didn’t derail his endeavour to retain the title, which included the squad’s leading figures remaining attached to their respective roles.
However, Verstappen wouldn’t get his wish as storied design guru Adrian Newey soon communicated his desire to leave, a bombshell which preceded long-time Red Bull Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley being poached to head Audi’s F1 venture.
Those announcements coincided with a drastic decline in competitiveness which saw Verstappen, who had made it seven victories in 10 rounds, embark on a 10-race winless run as Red Bull’s bid to recapture the initiative McLaren had seized led it to accentuate the RB20’s balance problems.
Red Bull’s mid-season slump prompted Verstappen to become agitated, culminating in speculation that he could be tempted to entertain a move to a rival side should his incumbent team’s slide continue this season.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff made his interest in Verstappen’s services public on several occasions, even revealing that talks had been held with the Dutchman’s entourage over a possible deal last summer.
“I thought all through the year that there was a window or that there was a possibility. It wasn’t zero,” Wolff stated.
“It’s pretty bumpy ground there still, and not only for performance reasons, but also because of interpersonal issues that we’re all aware. By the way, I got on with Jos for all my life. But maybe because we’re a bit similar. And that’s why I thought the door was never completely closed.
“What were the odds of that happening? Maybe there were 10 to 1. Nine to one. Still, I didn’t want to give up, but then together we came to the conclusion over the summer that we shouldn’t be waiting for something to happen before committing for 2025, but let’s continue doing our job, Max at Red Bull and here at Mercedes taking our own driver decisions. That was a kind of joint thought.”
The shared vision that Verstappen will remain at Red Bull in 2025 hasn’t stopped Wolff from sensing his top target’s “path will cross” with Mercedes at some point in time.
Aston Martin open to Verstappen arrival
But the German marque won’t be alone should Verstappen hint that he is available, with Aston Martin indicating that it would be prepared to contest his coveted signature.
“The door for Max Verstappen is always open, for everything,” Mike Krack, who was Aston Martin Team Principal at the time but has since been moved to a revised trackside-orientated position, expressed.
Aston Martin would represent a sizeable downgrade on Verstappen’s current environment, the team having ended 2024 a colossal 495 points behind Red Bull in fifth.
However, the Silverstone-based squad being touted as a realistic destination is based upon the substantial work it is doing to become a genuine front-running fixture, not where it resides in the current pecking order.
With billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll bankrolling the operation, Aston Martin has committed huge amounts to expanding and renovating the team’s current headquarters.
To supplement the state-of-the-art tools it has started to bring online, Aston Martin has also recruited some headline names, including ex-Ferrari Technical Director Enrico Cardile who has recently begun his new role as Chief Technical Officer.
However, Aston Martin’s biggest statement arrived last September with the ground-breaking news that Newey will continue in F1 as the side’s Managing Technical Partner.
Newey’s track record is unrivalled in the sport and his stints with Williams, McLaren and Red Bull have demonstrated that wherever he goes, success tends to come.
Aston Martin will be hoping that trend continues when he starts in green in March, when his attention is certain to be on the impending rules overhaul coming in 2026.
Newey could give Aston Martin an edge over Mercedes in the potential race to persuade Verstappen, whose 63 wins across various rule cycles have come with designs that have originated from the Briton’s sketches.
Krack has acknowledged that obtaining Newey should serve to heighten the expectation that Aston Martin has when it comes to the drivers it can strive to attain.
“When you manage to appoint Adrian Newey, first of all, it is proof that the project is credible, that the whole vision of Lawrence is not just words, but it is real action that we can take confidence from as a team,” he said. “This is not an underdog team like it used to be in the past, it is a team that should be confident it can do it, but also you now have a completely different approach with partners and drivers. [Signing Newey] opens a lot of doors for the future.”
Honda reunion could entice Verstappen
Verstappen, though, is well aware that Newey’s genius alone is not enough to propel a team to the pinnacle without having other components in place to exploit the technical brilliance that he will provide.
A vital cog in a prosperous F1 outfit is a powertrain that is up to scratch, something that Red Bull didn’t have in Verstappen’s earlier years when he was laboured with uncompetitive and unreliable Renault units.
However, Red Bull’s switch to Honda in 2019 paid dividends as several titles have come with the Japanese marque, ensuring Verstappen had no cause to look elsewhere.
But the two will split once the season ends as Honda’s reversal on the decision to leave F1 came once Red Bull had chosen to set up its own powertrains division, enabling Aston Martin to intervene to steal the works deal.
Honda power coupled with Newey’s wisdom is a potent combination with a track record, two parties that could be enough to woo Verstappen should it work wonders again.
Having secured F1’s most decorated ever designer and an exclusive agreement with an established engine supplier, Verstappen could be the last piece in the puzzle that Stroll Sr needs to turn a dream into reality.
Fernando Alonso has showcased since his comeback in 2021 that he can still operate at the top level, but he will turn 45 during the opening season under the revamped rules.
The Spaniard, who remains eager to end his career with a third title, has admitted he is treating 2026 as his final campaign in F1.
There would be no surprise should Aston Martin be doing due diligence in advance on the potential replacements to partner Lance Stroll, whose spot will be assured as long as his father remains engaged at the forefront.
The Canadian has exhibited the willingness to open up the chequebook when he is set on acquiring a target that he deems to be a game-changer for the squad’s aspirations.
Based on a 2024 season where he clinched the title without the quickest package on average, Verstappen would be a certain ceiling raiser and a deal would weaken an immediate rival in Red Bull in the process.
Verstappen will go where he can win
Aston Martin would have little trouble matching or even eclipsing the financial package that Mercedes could summon.
But Verstappen has never shown an appetite to court the largest wage packet. Instead, the lucrative sum he commands at Red Bull – estimated to be $55 million per annum – reflects his huge importance to the team.
His entire thought process will be on going to the place that gives him a chance to win. In that respect, 2026 will be an unknown as extensive changes to the engine and chassis regulations make it impossible to predict which teams will hit the ground running.
Unless he reserves scepticism over Red Bull’s nascent engine venture with American giant Ford before it has even begun, Verstappen has no need to rush to a decision without assessing the landscape once the sport’s latest era has even commenced.
Red Bull’s stance is that it remains relaxed about the matter, while Verstappen has pinpointed that his connection to the team will have a role in any outcome on his future.
However, Horner has accepted that Red Bull must continue to deliver a competitive package to keep its star asset satisfied, with clauses in his deal permitting an exit should certain targets drop from within his reach.
With Red Bull entering this season under pressure to address the complications that would contribute to those mechanisms becoming a concern, Verstappen’s situation is set to be a notable talking point in the driver market across the next 12 months.
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