While Max Verstappen may be sticking around at Red Bull for the 2025 Formula 1 season, and maybe for 2026, a mega deal with Aston Martin may be in the cards.
Verstappen won his fourth consecutive F1 title with Red Bull after beating Lando Norris in the 2024 season, which has been far from a smooth ride for the Dutchman and his team.
Red Bull was embroiled in controversy all year long, starting with Christian Horner's sexting scandal, which caused a civil war between the team boss and Verstappen's father, Jos.
And while Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing and the hostilities with Verstappen Sr. dwindled, Red Bull had to deal with tough competition as their RB20 lost its edge since the Miami Grand Prix when McLaren delivered a stunning upgrade to their MCL38, transforming it into the best car on the 2024 F1 grid.
The fact that Adrian Newey, the team's tech boss since its inception, decided to jump ship and join Aston Martin as a shareholder starting in March of 2025 did not help the situation, as other main figures followed the design guru out of the team, namely sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, who will join Sauber/Audi as team principal.
Horner insisted Red Bull has the depth to deal with the high-profile departures, and while Verstappen claimed he is happy to remain with the team, reports about his exit have not gone away.
A recent report in the Daily Mail claimed that the four-time F1 champion will be joining Aston Martin, adding that the contract may be worth an eye-watering £1-Billion.
The report revealed that Aston Martin, through Jefferson Slack, their managing director, commercial and marketing, as well as a "close lieutenant of Aston Martin’s Canadian billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll", have been informing potential sponsors that Verstappen is on his way to the Silverstone-based team.
Lance Stroll not good enough, Fernando Alonso too old
The Daily Mail quotes a "source with knowledge" saying: "Jefferson, or Jeff as others know him, has been going around saying that Max is going to be joining Aston Martin. It may be a ploy, adding extra value to the deal he wants to do, but bringing Max in also makes perfect sense.
"They have signed Adrian Newey on £20million-a-year as the greatest car designer of all time, and Lawrence won’t let that be the extent of it.
"He has said he wants to win the world title, and he won’t let anything stand in his way. He wants to end the dominant era headed by Christian Horner (at Red Bull) and Toto Wolff (at Mercedes).
"Adrian is believed to think that Lance Stroll (son of owner Lawrence) is not a good enough driver. And that Fernando Alonso, being 43, is too old.
"Adrian is determined to make a success of himself yet again and wants to work with the best. They gave Adrian a shareholding to get him over from Red Bull and they could conceivably do the same with Max," the source concluded.
Verstappen will face a tough competition in 2025 as McLaren will start the season as favorites based on their form at the end of the 2024 F1 season, which saw them clinch their first constructors' title since 1998.
Ferrari were on the rise as well towards the end of last season, and with Lewis Hamilton moving there to partner Charles Leclerc, the Maranello squad, who narrowly missed out on the 2024 constructors' crown to McLaren, will also be another obstacle in Verstappen's way as he seeks a fifth drivers' title.
Based on how his 2025 season pans out and depending on the job Red Bull do in response to the 2026 major regulations changes as they become power unit manufacturers for the first time in their history, Verstappen will have decisions to make about his future despite having a contract with the team up till the end of 2028, as he reportedly has performance-based exit clauses in his contract.
So will there be a Verstappen/Newey reunion at Aston Martin?
Latest News
Loading
