Max Verstappen to Aston Martin potential is 'very real' as F1 rumor mill hits overdrive

The rumors linking Max Verstappen with Aston Martin just won't go away. In fact, they're only getting louder.

Aston Martin team boss Lawrence Stroll has made no secret of his desire to build the ultimate F1 team, and he made a big move towards that goal with the signing of design guru Adrian Newey, who officially starts with the team at the beginning of March. But to be a front-running team, Aston Martin will also need elite driving talent at the wheel.

Former world champ Fernando Alonso certainly knows how to squeeze performance out of a sub-optimal car, and he's done exactly that to make the most of Aston Martin's struggles in recent years. But he's not far from retirement now, and with Stroll's son Lance looking unlikely to make the step from second-string driver to championship contender, the team will need to splash the cash to bring in a big name to spearhead the team.

And, if the rumors are to be believed, the man they have their sights set on is none other than four-time world champion and current champ, Verstappen.

The cracks started to show at Red Bull last season, with internal wrangling within the Red Bull team off the track detracting from Verstappen's stellar performances on it.

And with rumors suggesting Verstappen could consider a move away from Red Bull, Aston Martin, and their owner's considerable bankroll, could be ready to offer him a lucrative exit route.

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So far, these stories have been little more than rumor, based on circumstance. But, speaking on The Race F1 Podcast, motorsport journalist Mark Hughes has suggested that there could be some real substance behind those stories, with the latest coming from UK newspaper The Daily Mail, who earlier this month claimed that Aston Martin are prepared to mount a $1.2 billion bid to land the Dutch ace.

"Not sure about the price tag – it sounds like one of those made-up newspaper headlines where they sit around and decide how much it should be and then decide that's what it is," he said.

"The idea of Max Verstappen to Aston I think is very real, and if what we're hearing on the grapevine is true, those negotiations are ongoing.

"So, even before we started hearing these rumors from within the paddock and not just from people speculating on it from the outside, it did make perfect sense."

The timing could be perfect for Verstappen to switch teams. The new F1 engine and design regulations take effect for the 2026 season, and a move to Aston Martin could see Verstappen renew his partnership with the man who designed his championship-winning Red Bull cars, with Newey joining the team this spring.

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And with Aston Martin looking to put the pieces in place to become serious players at the sharp end of the F1 grid in the years to come, Verstappen could potentially be tempted, especially if he's offered an astronomical pay packet to sweeten the deal.

"Max has been at Red Bull for a decade. It's a new formula, a new engine partner, Adrian Newey has gone," Hughes continued.

"Max has won multiple world titles and said that only the first one really matters to him and the rest have been a nice indulgence.

"So he's clearly ready for a new challenge (at) just the time that Lawrence Stroll has brought this incredible array of talents and facilities together, and has taken Honda, with whom Verstappen and has a great relationship already, with them.

"It's the obvious next step for both parties. I'd say so, yes. I'd put quite a lot of weight behind the rumors."

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