£1.6bn-valued F1 team prepared to offer Max Verstappen ‘whatever he wants’ to sign for 2026

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Max Verstappen will need to decide very soon what he plans to do for the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Even with a tough 2025 season, Red Bull are still expecting Max Verstappen to stick around.

He’s under contract until the end of 2028, but that doesn’t mean he’s locked in for the long haul.

There are clauses in his deal that could let him walk away as early as this year. That, combined with Red Bull’s struggles and doubts about next year’s car, has fuelled speculation about his future.

Toto Wolff and George Russell have hinted at ongoing talks between Mercedes and Verstappen, but nothing has been finalised yet. Other teams would also be interested if he became available.

Aston Martin, valued at £1.6bn, would love to have a four-time world champion on board. Lawrence Stroll has already invested heavily in building up the team, and Verstappen would be a huge addition.

F1 insider James Allen says Aston Martin are open to pay whatever Max Verstappen wants

Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, James Allen said: “If you’re Toto, you’re going to have to go from a situation where you’re paying George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, who’s doing it for kind of like pocket change and some meal tokens.

“You’re going to put another 80 to 100 million dollars on your bottom line, cut your profits down and all the rest of it.

“So that’s a big, big decision. He’d love to have him, but I think he has to be sure that he really needs him.

“It could be if he stays where he is, sucks it up next year, doesn’t win too much, has a look and actually likes what he sees from Honda, Adrian Newey, Aston Martin. Then maybe he just goes there and takes Alonso’s seat for 2027 and commits himself for three years and tries to make that into a winning package.

“Lawrence Stroll will pay him whatever he wants to go and do that and maybe even give him some shares like he gave Newey.

“If you’re Max Verstappen if you are the best driver in the world right now by a margin. You don’t need to move now.”

“If you do move now then it is an act of faith. It’s a big leap. It’ll be interesting to see what he does. I suspect he will not move before next year. If he does it’s a big leap of faith.”

James Allen explains why Aston Martin could be a great match for Max Verstappen

Allen went on to discuss how Aston Martin have developed under Stroll’s leadership and what they’re aiming for down the line.

The F1 insider pointed out that having Andy Cowell in charge and the potential to work with Adrian Newey again could make Aston Martin an attractive option for Verstappen.

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He said: “​​With Aston Martin, Lawrence Stroll runs things; he’s a very strong personality, but he wants to have that entrepreneurial spirit.

“It’s an engineer-led organisation, Andy Cowell is the team boss there, I’ve known him for many, many years. He is an engineer, he’s an engine builder, but he thinks like an engineer.

“And Adrian Newey definitely thinks like an engineer, and so do all the people around them.

“So I think Max would find that kind of mentality appealing. And the fact that one guy can make the decisions, which is what [Dietrich] Mateschitz was at Red Bull too.

“Lawrence Stroll can say, you want that car painted orange tomorrow, I’ll paint it orange; he’ll do whatever it takes to win.”

How Max Verstappen’s camp previously responded to Aston Martin F1 offer

Stroll has thrown a lot behind Aston Martin, from overhauling their factory to building a new wind tunnel and bringing in top names across the sport.

Cowell was in high demand before joining, Newey’s reputation is well-established, and Enrico Cardile will soon make the move from Ferrari.

The 2026 exclusive Honda power unit deal is another big win for Aston Martin. Still, it doesn’t seem enough to sway Verstappen into making the switch next year.

Earlier this year, Aston Martin reportedly made a substantial offer to Verstappen’s camp, but he turned it down.

It remains to be seen if they’ll try again now that there might be another opening to bring him in.