Aston Martin ‘spare no expense’ against Mercedes in Max Verstappen tug-of-war

Aston Martin have been backed in the battle to eventually sign Max Verstappen, by another Dutch ex-Red Bull driver.

The future of Verstappen has been a hot topic within Formula 1 all year, despite the continuation of his dominance which remains likely to yield a fourth consecutive championship this season.

But controversies that included Christian Horner, Helmut Marko and his father Jos Verstappen at various stages of the campaign have led rivals to dream of recruiting the F1 champion.

Mercedes’ Toto Wolff had earlier admitted his admiration and, although it now seems certain that Verstappen will stick with Red Bull next year, there could be a longer-term battle to sign him.

“Max Verstappen’s relationship with Mercedes remains strong,” said Robert Doornbos, a former Red Bull test and reserve driver who now works as an F1 analyst.

“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.”

Doornbos previously said: “With two-time champion Fernando Alonso already on board and advances made to Max Verstappen, they’re aiming for the best of the best.”

Aston Martin have made little secret of their ambition to progress to the front of F1.

The deep pockets of billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll make their dreams a possibility, and he has already invested in a new contract to keep Alonso until the end of 2026.

The F1 team also boast a brand-new Silverstone facility, and will link up with Honda as a new engine partner.

2026 is when the new F1 regulations kick in, giving every team on the grid the possibility to fly out of the blocks faster than their rivals.

Aston Martin, in addition to the scrap to attract Verstappen, are also credited as a possible destination for Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey.

However, Mercedes remain an attractive proposition for anyone - perhaps, including Verstappen - and talk within the F1 paddock is that their 2026 engine could be the envy of their rivals.