The idea is right, it’s just the timing that’s wrong. The uproar is gradually fading over the massive offer Aston Martin reportedly made to Max Verstappen to leave Red Bull and join the Silverstone-based team in 2026.
Andy Cowell, CEO and team principal, officially stated that Aston Martin has two drivers under contract: “…this means I can focus all my efforts on helping improve the team by building competitive cars.”
At Red Bull, Christian Horner has stepped in to confirm that Max will be driving for the Milton Keynes-based team in 2026, also denying the rumors—somewhat fanciful—that talk of the four-time world champion taking a sabbatical.
These denials are, of course, both inevitable and necessary. However, the paddock is beginning to get a clearer picture of what next year could look like with the introduction of new regulations that will revolutionize power units, chassis, and aerodynamics all at once—something unprecedented in modern F1.
The widespread view is that Mercedes is clearly ahead in finalizing the 2026 power unit (50% internal combustion and 50% electric). Just as happened in 2014 at the start of the hybrid era, teams using the Silver Arrows’ unit will have a significant advantage: the factory team in Brackley, along with McLaren, Williams, and Alpine, could benefit if other units, as it seems, are less competitive. We’re talking about Ferrari, Honda, Audi, and Red Bull Powertrains.
In this uncertain context, why should Verstappen run into Lawrence Stroll’s arms to muddle through at Aston Martin? For the €264 million offer supposedly backed by PIF (Public Investment Fund), the Saudi sovereign wealth fund that, through ARAMCO, is already a partner of Aston Martin? But Verstappen already earns around €80 million per year between salary and sponsors, so the switch wouldn’t be financially driven—even if the figure is certainly striking in the media.
At the moment, it seems that it’s more Jos Verstappen stirring things up than Max. We all know how much Verstappen Sr. dislikes Christian Horner’s management of Red Bull, but we also know that Max is far from naive and thinks for himself, no longer influenced (as in the past) by his father.
So the picture will become clearer next year. Aston Martin is currently the biggest disappointment of the 2025 season. The AMR25 is a disaster, and the Silverstone team sits seventh in the Constructors’ standings, overtaken by Haas and Williams. The car, designed by someone who has since been dismissed, was developed in Mercedes’ wind tunnel in Brackley. Once the scale model was moved to the brand-new wind tunnel in Silverstone, the data stopped adding up, and development became incredibly difficult. After all, FIA regulations prohibit evolving the 2025 car in the Mercedes facility, while the 2026 car must be developed in-house. A choice must be made—and followed consistently.
It becomes clear, then, that there’s still a lot of work to be done before the new mega-facility becomes fully operational. Reinforcements like Adrian Newey—focused entirely on the agile car concept—and Enrico Cardile, Ferrari’s former technical director, who will only join the team in July, won’t be enough in the short term. Meanwhile, Luca Furbatto, the last remaining CTO from the previous staff, is still optimizing cutting-edge systems. And this doesn’t just include the wind tunnel, but also the simulator, CFD systems, and artificial intelligence. A network that could produce excellent results—but only once each department reaches full maturity.
The partnership with Honda is currently exclusive: Aston Martin will cease to be a customer team and become a works team. This carries real value, but not in the short term. It’s no coincidence that Stefano Domenicali said in an interview with Motorsport.com that he hopes a window remains open for engine manufacturers to continue development next year even after homologation, to allow those behind to catch up.
The talks with Max, therefore, should not be seen as a joke. Quite the opposite. But what would be the point of joining Aston Martin in 2026 if it means potentially being beaten by Red Bull anyway? Verstappen will wait for the project to mature, then evaluate the situation—knowing that a very ambitious “green giant” is in the works for 2027.
Fernando Alonso’s frustration may be more than justified: is the Spaniard merely a stopgap driver for this long transition phase?
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