F1 News: Verstappen to Aston, Mercedes, ‘unlikely’ say pundits
(GMM) Aston Martin F1 driver Fernando Alonso thinks it is “unlikely” that Max Verstappen will sign up with Aston Martin for 2026.
Adrian Newey is exclusively working on next year’s car, Honda is shifting from Red Bull to Aston Martin, and rumors of $100 million per year offers are floating around the paddock.
“I don’t think so,” 43-year-old Alonso said, “as I have a contract for next year.”
Also with a contract for 2026 is Lance Stroll, leading the two-time champion to surmise that Verstappen in a green car is “unlikely to happen”.
Verstappen has also been strongly linked with Mercedes, especially given the team’s apparent high confidence that it will once again nail all-new engine rules from the very start.
That has even triggered rumors that Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was recently in contact with George Russell – the out-of-contract and on-form Mercedes driver.
Auto Motor und Sport editor Michael Schmidt, however, doubts it.
“If Verstappen goes to Mercedes, they’ll have to throw out one of the two current drivers,” he said, referring to Russell and Toto Wolff’s teenage protégé Kimi Antonelli.
“They are both drivers who really belong to the Mercedes family, so it is all easier said than done. If Russell goes, Verstappen will be next to Antonelli, and the Italian really wouldn’t stand a chance next to a monster like that. The second season is often the most difficult for a young driver, and his career could then be over.
“Mercedes would actually have to get rid of both drivers if they want Verstappen. He will want the whole team to focus on him, just like Red Bull does, and he can also demand that – just as (Michael) Schumacher and (Ayrton) Senna understandably did too.”
Indeed, all the signs suggest that Wolff is poised to re-sign Russell. “We will resume negotiations with George when the European part of the season begins,” Wolff announced.
“He is performing at a very high level and lives up to our hopes and expectations. There is no point in asking more from him. There is no reason to dispute or doubt anything now.”
As for 18-year-old Antonelli, Wolff is also happy. “I am very satisfied,” he confirmed. “The development is going in the right direction. There were also no kamikaze actions,” he smiled.
“The most interesting thing is that he is always fastest at the end of the weekend, which shows that he is really getting to grips with the car and how to manage the tires. Antonelli is 100 percent on schedule,” said Wolff.
The leading hypothesis at present is that despite all the noise, 27-year-old Verstappen actually still intends to fulfil his contract through to 2028.
“I think moments like this is when you really bond with your team,” fellow quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel said in Saudi Arabia last weekend.
“Ok, some people have left and some people have come, but whether you win the championship or not, that’s the nature of F1. I think now is the time to stick together and take the opportunity to bounce back,” he added.
Verstappen said a few days ago that everyone in the paddock is talking about his next move “except me”.
He then told Dutch journalists: “People want to have something to write about.
“Of course every driver wants to be in the fastest car – that’s completely normal. But that doesn’t mean you just run away if things aren’t going well.
“You can’t always win everything all the time.”