Formula 1 Rumor: Verstappen could switch to Aston Martin in 2027
The rumor that won’t go away in Formula 1 circles is Max Verstappen following Adrian Newey to Aston Martin, but not until the 2027 season.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Max Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull through the 2028 season, but he signed it three years ago thinking that Adrian Newey would remain the Technical Director/Chief Design Engineer at Red Bull.
However, much to Verstappen’s surprise, Newey was lured away from Red Bull by Billionaire Aston Martin Team owner Lawrence Stroll and will start working for the team in 2025 on the 2026 car.
In 2026, the F1 car and engine will be radically different, and the team who gets it right out of the box could have a huge advantage.
There are believed to be exit clauses Verstappen could exercise should the 2026 Red Bull car with Ford power be a dog.
Aston Martin will be using the superior Mercedes engine and with Newey overseeing the car design, it could be the winning combination.
Verstappen will not be able to move to Aston Martin until 2027 because Fernando Alonso has a contract to drive for the team until the end of the 2026 season. By that time Alonso will be 45 years old – and likely too old to win anything.
The other Aston Martin seat is occupied by Lance Stroll, who has a guaranteed ride in F1 because his daddy owns the team. However, we’re not sure his father could stand to watch his son be destroyed by the best driver in F1 – Max Verstappen. He’s close to teammate Fernando Alonso in performance because Alonso is an old man and way past his prime.
Alonso believes that the curtains on his F1 career could fall when his current contract with Aston Martin expires in 2026. “2026 will probably or at least to start, be my last season in F1,” the 43-year-old said as quoted by WTF1.
The only exception to this timeline would be if Aston Martin starts performing well on the track when the 2026 engine regulations come into effect. “If 2026 is running smoothly and we are having a good time, there is a possibility to race one more year. I will be open to it, for sure,” Alonso added.
At the end of the day, Lawrence Stroll wants to stop the financial bleeding of Aston Martin and to achieve that, he needs to sell more passenger cars.
The combination of Mercedes power, Adrian Newey and Max Verstappen would turn Aston Martin into F1 World Champions.
As the adage goes, Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.
