Aston Martin ‘now aiming’ for Max Verstappen with 2026 talks ‘underway’ – report

Not satisfied to leave it at Adrian Newey, Lawrence Stroll reportedly has his sights set on an Aston Martin swoop for Max Verstappen.

As Stroll continues to invest heavily in the Aston Martin team with Formula 1 success the goal, the Silverstone squad pulled off a huge coup by completing the signing of F1 design guru Adrian Newey, who has agreed a long-term deal as Aston Martin’s Managing Technical Partner. He will begin work in March 2025.

Max Verstappen next on the Aston Martin target list?

Newey will join after his full departure from Red Bull, but it would appear that Aston Martin has sights set on another prized Red Bull asset in the form of their three-time World Champion and current F1 2024 Drivers’ Championship leader Max Verstappen .

Respected Italian publication Autosprint – which correctly called Newey to Aston Martin – claims Stroll is now ‘aiming for’ Verstappen, with a view to bringing the Dutchman in for F1 2026. Talks to make this happen are reportedly already in progress.

At that stage, the new regulations will come into play, creating the appeal of a Newey-designed Aston Martin, powered by the Honda engine, the Japanese manufacturer having supplied Red Bull through all of Verstappen’s title-winning years, a tally which he is in a strong position to stretch to four in a row in F1 2024.

With Fernando Alonso, as it stands, set to race into the new regulatory era with Aston Martin, Autosprint report that his team-mate Lance Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence, could be diverted onto Aston Martin’s World Endurance Championship programme to make space for Verstappen.

Max Verstappen to Aston Martin?

👉 How Max Verstappen could now be next on Aston Martin’s shopping list

👉 What next for Lawrence Stroll and Aston Martin after huge Adrian Newey coup

Newey’s impending Red Bull exit was announced in the build-up to the Miami Grand Prix, as he stepped away from the F1 team with immediate effect. What has followed is a disappearance of Red Bull’s dominance, with Verstappen asked whether he thought Newey’s exit was the cause. He does not.

“Normally, not,” Verstappen told the media including PlanetF1.com when asked if Newey’s step back is making a difference.

“It’s just, since it was announced that he was leaving, it’s been more difficult.

“But, I mean, it shouldn’t matter if someone is, say, leaving and, on the spot, immediately the performance drops, because the car has always been the same.

“So, yeah, normally not.”

However, Verstappen does retain a “good relationship” with Newey, something which Aston Martin can look to use to their advantage as they apparently make their move.

“Whenever I do see him, I mean, we have a good relationship,” said Verstappen, “so that’s never been a problem.”

Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028, though the team’s senior advisor Helmut Marko has admitted that performance-related clauses exist in that deal.

Read next – Adrian Newey: All you need to know about his sensational Aston Martin move