Red Bull has good reason to be concerned about the possibility of retaining Max Verstappen at its team beyond the 2025 season.
The three-time world champion is contracted until 2028, but the deal is littered with performance and exit clauses that likely give him a chance to walk away at the end of 2025.
Verstappen’s management, led by his father Jos and Raymond Vermeulen, has openly flirted with Mercedes F1’s Toto Wolff in recent months.
F1-insider now reports that a “agreement sealed with a handshake” was even concluded between Jos Verstappen and Wolff, regarding a possible transfer of the 26-year-old driver for 2026. In a word: the door is closed for 2025 but is open afterwards just in case.
But another potential option for Verstappen has just emerged, as Red Bull loses its technical ‘genius’ Adrian Newey to Aston Martin F1 for 2025 and beyond.
The Silverstone team could also be very attractive to Verstappen, who won his three titles at Red Bull with the Japanese manufacturer.
Asked about the possible new link between Verstappen and Aston Martin F1, Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko said: “I have no idea where this comes from.”
It has even been suggested that Verstappen could try to take his mentor Marko with him.
“I have to admit the Aston Martin was a fun company car,” smiles Marko, referring to the period when Aston Martin sponsored Red Bull, “but that’s not the deciding factor for me.”
“Any sensible team boss has to be interested in Max. And he always wants to sit in the car in which he can become world champion.”
Marko admits that Newey will probably find new success in green.
“Even when he joined us, Newey had the know-how to become a world champion. He started with very specific requirements and ideas. Today, you need a much bigger team, but he will probably get it.”
Mike Krack, Aston Martin F1 boss, points out that he already has two drivers under contract, namely Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. To do without one of them would be complicated to welcome Max Verstappen. Alonso worked to build the team, Stroll is the boss’s son.
“When you have completed a puzzle, to add another piece, you have to remove one!” admits Krack.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, however, insists Verstappen is still fully committed to the Austrian team.
“He works with the engineers and explains very clearly where the problems are with the car. He puts a lot of time and effort into this process, and has been on a lot of Zoom calls and in the simulator over the last couple of weeks.”
“Everything else is just baseless speculation. One day he goes to Mercedes F1, another to Aston Martin. But the certainty, the contract, the intention, is Red Bull Racing.”
