Aston Martin dismisses Verstappen rumor, but questions remain

On Thursday, the Daily Mail published a report claiming that Aston Martin is approaching sponsors with the intention of signing Max Verstappen on a astronomical £1 billion salary spread over several years.

While this amount has attracted much of the attention, the interest itself should come as no surprise. It's no secret that Aston Martin and Mercedes are hoping to secure the Dutchman's services at some point in his career.

While Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said the focus was entirely on his current drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, he clarified to the Dutch press at Zandvoort that the door was not closed to Verstappen. . “I still think our paths will cross one day”Wolff declared.

From Aston Martin's perspective, having an eye on Verstappen is also not surprising. The Silverstone-based team has built a state-of-the-art campus, in which its new wind tunnel is expected to play a crucial role.

The technical team was reinforced by Enrico Cardile and, above all, by Adrian Newey. In addition, Honda will become an engine supplier from 2026. As Aston Martin is the only team to which Honda will supply its power units it will effectively become a factory team, as is currently the case for Red Bull.

All of these aspects are ingredients for success, although two pieces of the puzzle don't fit: the two drivers. Lance Stroll does not have the makings of a champion and Fernando Alonso will be 44 next year – when the new regulations come into force – and 45 years later in the same season. It is therefore not a team on which it is possible to rely in the long term. If we add to this that Lawrence Stroll wants to do everything possible for his project to succeed, it is logical that he is ready to invest even more.

Verstappen himself has never hidden his respect for Newey and Honda, but this week's rumors seem quite premature. Aston Martin has firmly denied that any sponsor has been approached on the Verstappen file and such a scenario seems very hypothetical at this time.

Red Bull is confident but must perform

For the moment, some sources at Red Bull Racing say that the team is confident of being able to keep Verstappen at least until the end of 2026. The “Helmut Marko clause”, which has caused a lot of ink to flow, was in theory an easy way out for the Verstappen clan, and therefore a threat from Red Bull's point of view, but an appendix was added to it last year. It strengthened Marko's position within the team after the period of turbulence linked to the Horner affair and should give Red Bull a little more certainty that they will not lose Verstappen easily.

That said, it all depends on the competitiveness of the equipment provided. The contract, like all Formula 1 contracts, also contains other clauses, meaning Red Bull must continue to deliver on its promises. If the 2025 season doesn't go too badly for the Milton Keynes-based outfit (otherwise the clauses could theoretically come into play even earlier), the team is confident it can keep Verstappen afterward.

The situation could therefore potentially only be open at the end of 2026, also depending on how the start of the new era with the engine developed by Red Bull goes. It will be an interesting time for the Formula 1 driver market anyway, as it seems very open.

The contracts of Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton and others expire at this time. Even Alonso has indicated that he is eyeing 2026 as his final season in Formula 1. The Spaniard still hopes to win a third world title and has pinned all his hopes on the new regulations. For the following seasons, Aston Martin will potentially have a free seat and a lot of things seem possible.

2026, a pivotal year

This whole situation means that Verstappen is in a privileged position and will not be short of calls, which is no surprise for a driver of his stature. Verstappen can wait and see who is competitive in 2026 and who is not. Before 2026, everything is a gamble – including staying at Red Bull – because no one can predict who will be competitive under the new regulations.

With the change in engine and chassis regulations, next season will be a leap into the unknown for all teams. In addition, Red Bull will no longer be able to rely on Honda, but will start manufacturing its own engines via Red Bull Powertrains-Ford.

Regarding interest from other teams, Verstappen had told Motorsport.com during an interview in Singapore: “Of course, I know it's possible, but I'm not thinking about it too much at the moment.”

Noting that some teams seem to want to keep the door open as long as possible, Verstappen continued: “But I'm also like, 'If it doesn't happen, then too bad, it's not going to change my life'.” This shows how relaxed Verstappen remains about the situation, but also how important the 2026 rules will be.

This last point applies not only to the question of who will compete, but also to how the rules themselves will turn out. Verstappen was rather critical of the 2026 regulations during the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix, revealing that he had to downshift on the Monza Straight in the simulator and that the active aerodynamics felt “odd”.

“I don't think that should be the intention of Formula 1”he said at the time. Subsequently, the FIA ​​refined the project and Verstappen said it was “neutral” about this. Nevertheless, the 2026 rules are essential for future considerations. “That’s something I’ll have to judge in 2026 of course, to see if driving is still fun.”Verstappen said during the interview in Singapore last year.

It is common knowledge that the four-time world champion has ambitions outside of Formula 1, in other competitions. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is high on his wish list. A crucial condition for any choice in Formula 1 is therefore that Verstappen still loves the discipline, as Marko also indicated. This will be the first question mark in 2026, and the question of who will be competitive under the new regulations appears to be the second.

The amount of money mentioned in the Daily Mail article may seem attractive, but Verstappen doesn't need to base his choices on money at all. Pleasure comes first. In this regard, 2026 promises to be a key year: on the one hand, to know if Formula 1 is still what Verstappen wants it to be and, on the other hand, to know to what extent the peloton will be shaken up .

With Red Bull, Mercedes and Aston Martin, there is no shortage of interest, with all these teams ready to go out of their way to have or keep him. Verstappen has the luxury of being able to wait and not have to gamble, because Aston Martin, in its current situation, would be primarily a gamble.