Would Verstappen really consider Aston Martin? Our writers have their say

Our writers debate the merits of Max Verstappen moving out of Red Bull after the upcoming Formula 1 season, amid rumours of a monster bid prepared by Aston Martin.

Verstappen could find it fulfilling to build new project – Ben Vinel

Verstappen has always been very vocal about the fact that, unlike Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, he won’t keep racing in Formula 1 until he’s in his 40s.

In fact, as he reached 200 grand prix starts last summer, Verstappen made clear that he didn’t intend to race in another 200. That would mean he’d stay in F1 until 2031 at the latest – and it’s easy to picture him pulling the plug much earlier than that.

The Dutchman has been becoming somewhat disenchanted with F1, with events such as being handed community service for swearing – calling his Red Bull car “f”**ed in an FIA press conference – denting his passion for the championship.

And it makes sense. Verstappen has been groomed by his father Jos his whole life to become an F1 champion. Now, he’s won the world title four times, having joined the Red Bull team nine years ago. The 27-year-old is not losing his competitive edge by any means, but he’s not one to chase records, and in the future, he’ll need an exciting new project if he is to keep going.

Aston Martin could be that project. The team has all the funds it needs to be successful – though that’s not the be-all and end-all, just ask Toyota! – and he could find it fulfilling to build the squad around him and bring it to the top, a la Michael Schumacher with Ferrari. A major factor would be his Adrian Newey reunion there; a Newey-Verstappen duo would be a force to be reckoned with.

Certainly, at this stage, Verstappen ever signing with Aston Martin seems unlikely, but ruling it out would be silly. Right now, what could prevent it from happening may not be his Red Bull future but other equally interesting paths.

“For me, it is not just Formula 1,” he told Dutch broadcaster Viaplay in December. “After that, I also want to do a lot of things and I am also thinking about that. Who are the right partners for that?

“I have multiple goals after Formula 1 – endurance, my own team, there are a lot of things involved.

“A lot of teams [could help with that]; Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin… It doesn’t even have to do with Formula 1 itself. Red Bull, of course, they also do a lot outside of Formula 1. So, I’m keeping all options open there and, in the end, I’ll choose what I think is best.”

Whatever Verstappen ends up opting for as a new career path, it will be fascinating.

Red Bull’s 2026 form, not money, is key to Verstappen’s future – Filip Cleeren

Rumours that Aston Martin is preparing a billion-dollar move for Max Verstappen make for juicy headlines, but a move away from Red Bull doesn’t make sense for the Dutchman any time soon.

Verstappen’s Red Bull future has been up for debate since power struggles threatened to break the team apart last year, especially when the future of his mentor Helmut Marko came under threat and Verstappen went public in his desire for the Austrian to stay.

Add in Red Bull’s sudden performance dip, and there appeared to be a window for the likes of Mercedes to swoop for the Dutchman. Aston Martin also showed interest, and snapping up Red Bull’s designer Adrian Newey was a first statement of intent of the superteam Lawrence Stroll is assembling at Silverstone.

Adrian Newey and Lawrence Stroll, Owner, Aston Martin F1 Team, on stage

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

But with the situation at Red Bull since stabilising, including Marko’s immediate future, both Verstappen and Mercedes agreed in their talks that a union wouldn’t be on the cards yet, with Verstappen remaining committed to Red Bull while Mercedes promoted its youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Verstappen has a contract until 2028 and while inevitably some performance-related clauses remain in his contract, it doesn’t make any sense for Verstappen to make a rash decision before the middle of 2026. One of the biggest regulation changes F1 has ever seen has the potential to jumble the competitive order, with Red Bull’s form a particular unknown with the debut of its in-house engines developed at Red Bull Powertrains.

Quite who will be on top that year remains to be seen, so the best thing Verstappen can do right now is keep his options open and see how his current team gets on. As long as the performance is there, the sentiment we’re getting from the four-time world champion in his most recent interviews is that he appears happy and settled at Red Bull.

“The big teams are always interesting, but on the other hand, I’m also in a very big team. I’ve achieved a lot of success with them. It also just feels like a second family,” he said in the same Viaplay interview.

“I am also very loyal to my own team, and I just feel at home there. So, there is actually not much to achieve at the moment. I am still very young, so a lot can still happen in the future.”

Verstappen is a pretty straightforward operator, so there is little reason to question that sentiment. Having said that, he’s not interested in competing in F1 forever nor driving uncompetitive machinery. If in 2026 Red Bull has indeed missed a trick, you would be expecting him to take stock of the situation and see which alternatives are out there among teams that did start the new cycle on the front foot.

Verstappen is not alone in that situation, as a wide range of top-line drivers will be out of contract after 2026, including Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri and George Russell. All will be ready to re-enter the market against the backdrop of what will surely be a vastly different competitive picture.

If Aston Martin is really adamant about signing Verstappen, which it must be pointed out the squad has publicly denied, then there’s only one pathway towards making that happen: ensure you are on top in 2026. At the end of the day, the best drivers will want to drive the best cars.