“Aston Martin will do everything to sway Max Verstappen, sparing no expense” - Former Red Bull driver on 3x F1 champion’s future

Former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos recently gave his opinion on Max Verstappen's future in F1. He felt that the three-time world champion could go to Mercedes in 2026, but could also be lured by Aston Martin.

While Verstappen is currently dominating the sport with Red Bull and is leading the 2024 F1 drivers' championship table, several rumors have emerged about him soon leaving the Austrian team. The speculations emerged especially in the wake of team principal Christian Horner being accused of inappropriate behavior by a female employee. Though he was not found guilty of the charges after the team's investigation, the story put a dent in the team's reputation.

Furthermore, rumors of a major power struggle between Horner and Helmut Marko also surfaced, which was linked by rumors to be Verstappen's main reason for leaving Red Bull.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, meanwhile, has publicly praised Max Verstappen and attempted to lure the latter to his team. Some reports claimed that Aston Martin was also aiming to hire the star driver.

Recently, Doornbos wrote a long piece on his LinkedIn page about the three-time world champion Verstappen. He reckons that his fellow Dutch driver would join Mercedes in 2026. However, the Silver Arrows could face fierce competition from Aston Martin in the race to hire Verstappen.

He also touched on Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll's immense financial power, which he could use to the maximum to lure in the Red Bull star.

“I still believe Max will join Mercedes in 2026, although Aston Martin will do everything to sway him, sparing no expense. Led by Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin has been aggressively pushing to become title contenders within five years,” Doornbos wrote.

Aside from reports about Verstappen, several rumors have also emerged that Aston Martin has got a lock on Red Bull's chief technical officer Adrian Newey. The aero wizard instantly became a hot property to hire once Red Bull announced his departure. As of now, nothing has been officially announced by any team about Newey or Verstappen.

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Aston Martin's aim to hire Max Verstappen and become a top F1 team explained by former Red Bull driver

Former F1 driver Robert Doornbos also talked about Aston Martin's roadmap to glory in F1, with the help of the Honda engine deal and world champion drivers like Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen in the future. On his LinkedIn page, he wrote about Lawrence Stroll investing millions of dollars in his F1 team, trying to make it one of the top teams, capable of winning championships.

“Now in their third year, they must make significant strides in the next two. Their exclusive engine deal with Honda in 2026 positions them as a factory team and Stroll is investing a billion dollars to achieve his championship dream. With two-time Champion Fernando Alonso already on board and advances made to Max Verstappen, they’re aiming for the best of the best,” Doornbos wrote.

As of now, Aston Martin sits in fifth place in the constructors' championship table and has 73 points.