Max Verstappen’s entourage is reportedly engaged in “ongoing” negotiations with Aston Martin over a deal to prise the reigning Formula 1 champion from Red Bull.
That is what seasoned F1 reporter Mark Hughes has claimed, citing that a move to an expanding Aston Martin would be the “obvious next step” in Verstappen’s career.
Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, but speculation has persisted since last season that the situation at his current team could prompt him to head elsewhere.
Despite clinching his fourth consecutive title in 2024, Verstappen was made to stumble over the line as Red Bull’s mid-season plight witnessed him endure a 10-race winless run.
That drop in competitiveness succeeded a power struggle behind the scenes involving Red Bull boss Christian Horner that overshadowed the squad’s dominant start.
But while the tension has since eased, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has admitted that Verstappen remaining is dependent on the team having a competitive car in 2025.
Red Bull being unable to address the balance issues that plagued the RB20 could open the door to Mercedes, which has a long-term interest in Verstappen’s services.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has implied he will reignite his attempts to sign Verstappen, having settled on Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.
However, Mercedes won’t be alone should Verstappen indicate he is available as Aston Martin is reported to have told prospective sponsors that it is plotting a £1 billion bid.
But while the team denied the claim, Hughes has said that he would “put quite a lot of weight behind the rumours” linking Verstappen to the Silverstone-based squad.
Aston Martin languished a seismic 495 points behind Red Bull last term, but the team is bidding to have a title-contending setup under the new rules coming in 2026.
Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin’s billionaire owner, has invested in an expansion to the team’s Silverstone base, while dovetailing that with some headline technical recruits.
That includes design legend Adrian Newey, who provided the blueprint behind the Red Bull cars that Verstappen has achieved his seven Drivers’ Championships with to date.
With Aston Martin also landing an exclusive works partnership with engine supplier Honda, Hughes believes there is traction to the mounting news surrounding Verstappen.
“The idea of Max to Aston, I think, is very real,” he told TheRace F1 podcast. “And if what we’re hearing on the grapevine is true, those negotiations are already ongoing.
“So even before we started hearing those rumours from within the paddock, and not just from people speculating on it from the outside, it did make perfect sense.
“Max has been at Red Bull for a decade; it’s a new formula; new engine partner; Adrian Newey’s gone; Max has won multiple titles and has already said only the first one really matters to him, the rest have just been a nice indulgence.
“So he’s clearly ready for a new challenge at just the time Lawrence Stroll has brought this incredible array of talents and facilities together – and has taken Honda, with whom Verstappen has a great relationship already, with them.
“It’s the obvious next step for both parties, so I’d put quite a lot of weight behind the rumours.”
Verstappen coy on potential Aston Martin move
Aston Martin’s ex-team boss Mike Krack, who has now moved to a revised trackside role, expressed last September that the team’s door is “always open” to Verstappen.
When he was asked about Krack’s comments, Verstappen didn’t move to rule out a potential switch to the British marque should that become an option down the line.
“I have other worries at the moment that I’m paying a lot of attention to, that I’m working on,” he told media including Motorsport Week in Baku.
“So that is something maybe for the future that I think about, but not now.
“I have other worries at the moment that I am busy with and I try to fix and work on them with the team that I’m driving with – that’s where our focus goes.
“Adrian and I, we have a very good understanding. I sent him a message also after the news came out even though, of course, I knew that it was coming.
“I’m happy for him, it’s a new challenge.
“I always said I would have loved him to stay [at Red Bull], but at some point you can’t overturn these things so then you’re just excited for people seeking new challenges.
“I also know that Lawrence, of course, is pushing flat out to make it a success with Aston Martin, so it’s quite understandable that he wants to have Adrian on his side.”
Meanwhile, Verstappen highlighted that Newey, who will begin his role as Managing Technical Partner in March, alone will help Aston Martin be a more enticing destination.
Asked whether the Briton’s impending arrival would make a team more attractive to him, Verstappen responded: “I don’t know.
“I’ve worked with him so I know how he is as a person and also what he can do.
“I think everyone would like to work with Adrian in their career, so potentially.”
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