Last week, the Daily Mail reported in its columns that Jefferson Slack, sales and marketing director ofAston Martin, had made a billion-dollar offer to Max Verstappen for his arrival in the Silverstone-based team by 2028! A statement immediately denied, the team categorically denying any rapprochement with the four-time world champion. But what rapprochement are we talking about? While it seems unlikely that the Dutchman has a firm proposal, we can easily imagine that the firm is at least as interested as Mercedes to its medium-term future.
Why indeed invest in expensive hi-tech facilities and go looking for millions and shares in the team, the brilliant Adrian Newey – who will take up his duties at Silverstone on March 3 – to settle for a second knife? The work of the star engineer will not be fully felt before the 2027 car, it could be the perfect timing for Verstappen. While his current contract runs until 2028, we know that there are exit clauses linked to performance that could be activated if Milton Keynes had to fall into line, the in-house powertrain giving rise to many questions.
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“2026 is a huge opportunity for us but it's not just about '26. It's about building a team that can achieve sustained success. »
CEO and Team Principal Andy Cowell debriefs his first 100 days with Aston Martin Aramco and looks ahead to 2026 in the latest installation of UNDERCUT.
—Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) January 18, 2025
Max Verstappen, natural replacement for Fernando Alonso?
On paper at least, the Red Bull driver's entourage therefore has every interest in prevention rather than cure. A team ready to assume its world destiny from 2027/28, an engine manufacturer (Honda) in which the Dutchman has every confidence: on paper, Aston Martin's arguments are admissible. Those of Mercedes are perhaps even more so, except that the contractual situation of the drivers is perhaps clearer at Silverstone. If Fernando Alonso continues to perform as he did in the best hours of his two world titles in 2005/06, he could well be caught up by his age.
In mid-2026, he will be 45 years old (for reference, Juan Manuel Fangio holds the record for the oldest driver to win a world championship in 1957, at 46, editor's note) and will inevitably ask himself the question of what comes next. “This will probably be my last season in F1 because my contract ends at the end of 2026”, he said in Abu Dhabi last year. “That will be the moment of truth. If the season goes well, there will be a possibility of racing one more year.”
As the Spaniard will not close the door prematurely, will the team be able to afford the luxury of waiting for him to make his choice for 2027? Lawrence's seat Stroll being secured "ad vitam", she must not be mistaken about the name of the one capable of carrying out her global aims. Obviously, there will be a handful of them who are free as Oscar piastri, George Russell, Carlos Sainz ou Lewis Hamilton, who alone would tick all the boxes. But can we imagine the seven-time world champion finishing his career anywhere other than at Ferrari ? For Aston Martin, the only truly viable solution is therefore that of Max Verstappen. A billion dollar solution which, let us be sure, will resurface at the slightest opportunity – or failure of hot news – over the next eighteen months.
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Yves-Henri RANDIER
20/01/2025 at 04:01 a.m.
2026 will be crucial for several reasons: will Fernand bow out at the end of 2026 as he very recently announced? Will the 2026 Aston under the supervision of Adrian Newey be successful? Will the RedBull by Ford PowerUnit be in the game or not? Will 2026 make Verstappen want to continue in F1? Will the Hamilton in red episode have been conclusive? Will the calendar have been extended again by Liberty Media with new destinations and urban "karting" circuits instead of the historic tracks? Will MBS have increased the pressure on the drivers' driving even more? So many parameters suggesting many changes in the F1 landscape and giving rise to many rumors that we have not finished hearing about!!