Fernando Alonso says rumours Max Verstappen will join Aston Martin are good for the team – but he doubts they will ever be team mates.
Verstappen has won the last four world championships in a row but has only won one of the four rounds so far this year. Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko has claimed Verstappen may be able to take advantage of an exit clause in his contract to leave the team at the end of the season.Although Aston Martin is only seventh in the constructors’ championship, the team has invested heavily in building a new, state-of-the-art factory, has attracted several top engineers including former Red Bull design ace Adrian Newey and will have a works engine deal for the first time next year, with Honda. Verstappen has often praised the Japanese manufacturer who powered him to all of his world championship wins.
Following speculation Aston Martin could lure Verstappen away from Red Bull, Alonso said: “I see the rumours as very good for the team.”
“The world champion is sometimes linked with some other teams and a possible departure from Red Bull and the teams that they are commenting on are Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari. So this shows
the project that we are in and the future that this team has.”
He does not see Verstappen as a threat to his seat. “I don’t think so,” he said, “as I have a contract for next year.” Although he said he would be happy to share a team with Verstappen, Alonso believes “it’s unlikely to happen, very unlikely.”
Alonso, who will turn 44 this year, signed a new deal with Aston Martin last season and expects to remain with the team even after he finishes driving.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
“Last year when I extended the contract I said that I will drive for as long as I feel fast and I feel competitive and the team needs me behind the wheel,” he said. “But my contract is much longer than my racing career.
“I will stay with this team for many, many years in a different role. If that means that we can win a world championship, even when I’m not behind the wheel, I will still feel very proud of the project.”
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories - and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
- Red Bull made tactical decision not to avoid a penalty in Jeddah, Horner confirms
- Norris’s starts were far poorer than Verstappen’s but the balance is shifting
- McLaren’s rivals “just one upgrade away from being the lead car” – Brown
- Russell told race control what he thought of Verstappen’s first lap corner cut
- Doohan’s final corner pass on Bortoleto was F1’s closest fight for last place in seven years
SkrullCrusher
17th April 2025, 17:16
Alonso is giving me Palpatine vibes with this comment….
Edvaldo
17th April 2025, 17:22
That’s how good Newey is. Max is the best driver, the current champion, and rumors of him signing with a worse team than his, a team that finished the last race in 15th, don’t seem absurd. That’s 100% on Adrian Newey.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
18th April 2025, 3:45
Very risky move though, I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t see a big jump for aston; if you’re verstappen nowadays you have your pick of teams.
Arthur Zakaryan (@arthurgd3)
17th April 2025, 18:13
Max I am sure, will be evaluating his options as the season carries on and if clear progress isn’t being made and their results aren’t better for it, if such an exit clause does exist as Helmut referred to then you can be sure Max will be taking it seriously.
That’s one side of this though, if Max is to consider Aston, that team also, even though it’s clear 2025 isn’t the season in focus by Newey and others in the team, they have to at least show some signs of life in this 2025 challenger to show to Max that they have general competency with figuring things out even if the 2025 challenger is mostly beyond hope, it doesn’t bode well for Aston if they intend to court Max by having the 2nd or 3rd worst car on the grid.
SteveP
17th April 2025, 18:48
Translation: Lance is superglued in the other seat, so if Max signs for AM, then I’m history.
Zach (@zakspeedf1team)
17th April 2025, 19:27
I mean, yeah, isn’t it obvious? The whole team is set up so Lance can have a seat, any notion of AM dropping Lance as long as Stroll Snr is the owner is to me ridiculous.
Dex
17th April 2025, 21:59
And that’s one of the reason’s why they’ll hardly ever attract a current champion and best driver, be that Max today or someone else tomorrow. That’s just amateurish and quite ridiculous in this day and age. Besides, that means that Verstappen won’t be the most important driver in that team, but some Lance Stroll instead. Who’d want that? But then again, I’m sure he’d ask for reassurances and probably contract clauses about his own and Lance’s status in the team.
Anyhow, at least as rumors go, there’s no great optimism about future Honda engines, and quite the opposite when it comes to Mercedes. If the situation will be at least 20% similar to ten years ago, ten Neweys wouldn’t be enough to make up for that.
anon
17th April 2025, 22:28
SteveP, from the comments that Alonso has made in 2024 and earlier this year about his contract situation, it’s also quite likely that Alonso is hinting that he’ll have retired from racing before Verstappen signs for Aston Martin.
Don’t forget that, when Alonso’s contract expires at the end of next year, Alonso is going to be 45 years old. By the end of the 2026 season, he’ll be the oldest driver for over 50 years to compete in Formula 1 – you’d have to go back to Graham Hill in the 1975 Brazilian GP to find the next most recent driver who was 45 or more to compete in F1.
Alonso himself acknowledged back in January that he is unlikely to extend his racing career much further due to his age and 2026 will probably be his last season in Formula 1. Similarly, Briatore has said that all the information he has about Alonso’s career plans point towards him retiring from racing at the end of 2026. That suggests that an alternative interpretation is Alonso is saying that Aston Martin might try to hire Verstappen as a successor to him once he retires next year.
SteveP
18th April 2025, 10:24
Logical, but not even mildly amusing though ;)
Yes (@come-on-kubica)
18th April 2025, 6:29
I only hope for one competitive season for Aston Martin so Alonso gets one more crack st a world title.
Deep Sky
20th April 2025, 3:08
Yes, wish he got the chance in a decent challenger of a car. Mclaren was a good opportunity but the team screwed up badly with Honda and Alonso before making the right moves. Merc was strong in those years but Alonso would’ve been in the mix for sure when they dropped the ball.
Ferdi
18th April 2025, 13:44
I guess the best option would be for Max to do a Prost. That would also enable him to do LeMans while he sniffs out who has got it right and then drive for them in 2027.
Deep Sky
20th April 2025, 3:18
Yes, that’s a sensible move too. Like WRC champion Kalle Rovenpera who took a one year part time drive. These talented youngsters been driving and training for a significant number of years, a break is well deserved to try different things.
Having said that, I think there’s too much hype over RB being off the pace. They’re doing alright and in the front runners. It’s still too early for knee-jerk reactions. Dominance is not always guaranteed and championships can be won still.