Aston Martin’s ‘spare no expense’ plan to steal Max Verstappen away from Red Bull

Aston Martin are “sparing no expense” in their efforts to beat Mercedes to the signing of Max Verstappen from Red Bull for the F1 2026 season.

That is the claim of former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos, who is convinced that Aston Martin “will do everything” to sign Verstappen in their determination to become “the best of the best” in F1.

Aston Martin ‘will do everything’ to beat Mercedes to Max Verstappen signing

Despite holding a contract until the end of the 2028 season, Verstappen has seen his Red Bull future plunged into doubt in F1 2024 amid the tension between his father Jos and team principal Christian Horner and the team’s loss of form on track.

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, has made no secret of his desire to sign Verstappen as Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton’s replacement for F1 2025.

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However, reports from Italy last week indicated that Mercedes are now likely to promote teenage sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli as George Russell’s team-mate for next season, with an announcement expected at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

It is thought that Mercedes could try again to sign Verstappen next year ahead of F1’s major regulation changes in 2026, for which the Silver Arrows’ preparations are believed to be well advanced.

Mercedes previously aced F1’s switch to V6-hybrid engines in 2014, laying the foundations for a record-breaking run of eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships and seven Drivers’ titles.

Yet Aston Martin could rival Mercedes as a potential destination for Verstappen, with team owner Lawrence Stroll determined to see the Silverstone-based team emerge as a leading force in F1.

Having last year announced a works partnership with Honda for F1 2026, Aston Martin have recently made a series of star-studded appointments with former Mercedes engine guru Andy Cowell and Enrico Cardile, the ex-Ferrari technical director, signing up.

The arrivals of Cowell and Cardile are increasingly likely to be followed by that of Adrian Newey, the most decorated man in F1 history with more than 200 race wins to his name, with multiple reports over recent weeks claiming that Aston Martin have won the race to sign the legendary designer.

The lure of Honda and Newey, with whom reigning three-time World Champion Verstappen has achieved his success at Red Bull over recent years, is likely to hold a powerful appeal in Aston Martin’s bid to sign the 26-year-old.

Doornbos, who made 11 F1 starts for Red Bull across 2005/06, claimed on Monday that Aston Martin have “finalised” a deal for Newey, who is set to earn $100million over the course of a three-year deal.

And he believes the team will now turn their attention to signing Verstappen, having already “made advances” to the Dutchman.

However, Doornbos believes that Verstappen will ultimately elect to join Mercedes with the Dutchman’s relationship with the Brackley-based team believed to be “strong.”

In a post on his LinkedIn profile, Doornbos wrote: “Max Verstappen’s relationship with Mercedes remains strong.

“Mercedes has an open seat for 2025, and it’s likely that during the Monza weekend they’ll announce that Kimi Antonelli will get the chance to debut in Formula 1 alongside George Russell.

“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.

“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’s comments come after a report from German publication F1 Insider claimed that Aston Martin does not feature on the “wishlist” of Verstappen, who has maintained a “confidential, open and regular dialogue” with Wolff and Mercedes chief executive Ola Kallenius.

Speaking to Sky Germany during a visit to the Spanish Grand Prix in June, Mr Kallenius teased that the 2026 rule changes will represent “an opportunity” to lure Verstappen and teased that the Red Bull star “would look good in silver.”

He said: “The best driver wants to have the best car. And that’s our job, to bring the best package together.

“The cards will be reshuffled in 2026. New order with new rules. That’s also an opportunity. Who knows?

“But I think Max would look good in silver, wouldn’t he?”

Appearing on a recent Formula For Success podcast, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan claimed that Wolff and Kallenius – as well as Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of prominent Mercedes sponsor INEOS – met at this year’s Monaco Grand Prix to prepare a “fighting fund” to cover Verstappen’s eye-watering salary in preparation for the Dutchman’s arrival.

Jordan, who famously predicted Hamilton’s shock switch from McLaren to Mercedes back in 2012, said: “In Monaco there was a meeting between Toto, Jim Ratcliffe of INEOS [and] Ola Kallenius and together they put together a fighting fund to cover off the possibility of a salary requirement to cover Max.

“Max was aware of it. I’m not actually sure he was at the meeting, but surely that gives some indication about the steely commitment by Toto and his team to actually get Max on board at some stage.

“We shouldn’t be surprised to see Max in a Mercedes car in the next years.”

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