F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has brushed off rumours linking Max Verstappen with a move away from Red Bull, stating that drivers ‘don’t win with Aston Martin’. The Dutchman has been linked with a sensational move to Lawrence Stroll’s organisation for the 2026 season.
Verstappen is contracted with Red Bull until 2028, but the Dutchman is reported to have exit clauses in his deal that would allow him to switch teams should the Milton Keynes squad not provide him with machinery capable of fighting for World Championships.
This has not been an issue during the ground effect era so far, and Verstappen added three titles to his iconic 2021 triumph. However, the second half of the 2024 campaign may have been a sign of things to come as the 27-year-old won just two of the final 14 Grands Prix, and Red Bull slipped to third in the Constructors’ Championship.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Aston Martin are keen to offer Verstappen a way out. The Dutchman is allegedly the subject of an unprecedented £1billion deal that would see him reunite with Adrian Newey. The Brit joined the Silverstone-based outfit in 2024 and will work on the car from March onwards.
A source told the Daily Mail that Jefferson Slack, the team’s managing director, has been describing Verstappen’s move as a done deal. However, an Aston Martin spokesperson denied these claims and reiterated the organisation’s commitment to incumbent duo Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso.
In the eyes of 1997 world champion Villeneuve, Verstappen is unlikely to even consider the switch. “Lawrence Stroll would need someone that’s very strong mentally and hard-headed to replace Fernando Alonso,” he told Action Network.
“Max Verstappen would be more like, ‘What’s my next step?’ You win with Ferrari, you win with Mercedes, not with Aston Martin. Like Lewis Hamilton, he wants to win.”
While Red Bull’s performance concerns Verstappen, Aston Martin are in even deeper trouble heading into the final year of the ground-effect era. The Silverstone-based team made numerous updates to their car in 2024, but each improvement only made the car slower.
After ending the year with a string of worrying performances at the back end of the grid, changes were made. Mike Krack was removed from his role as Aston Martin team principal, and former Mercedes managing director Andy Cowell was promoted in his place.
