The £1 Billion Question: Could Aston Martin Really Lure Verstappen Away from Red Bull?

Last week, rumours surfaced that Aston Martin had made a £1 billion offer to sign Max Verstappen. That’s an eye-watering figure, even for F1 standards, but would a move to AM make sense for Max?

Right now, joining Aston Martin might seem ill-advised, but F1’s competitive landscape is notoriously unpredictable. When you break it down, Aston Martin’s offer actually starts to make some sense. (It’s sourced to the Daily Mail, so take it with a massive grain of salt).

Maybe you think I’ve lost my mind, but hear me out.

They’ve landed Adrian Newey, the most successful car designer in F1 history, and handed him a salary bigger than most drivers. Over several decades, Newey has been the architect of countless championship-winning cars, and his move from Red Bull to Aston Martin has already sent shockwaves through the paddock.

They’ve also rebuilt their leadership team, bringing in Andy Cowell, the mastermind behind Mercedes’ dominant turbo-hybrid engines, and Ferrari’s Enrique Cardile as Chief Technical Officer. These are big names with proven track records, and it’s clear that Aston Martin isn’t messing around when it comes to preparing for the 2026 regulations. With their obsessive focus on nailing the next generation cars, they are clearly aiming for a transformation similar to Mercedes’ rise in 2014.

Obviously, Verstappen’s decision won’t just come down to money. He’s a serial winner, and Aston Martin needs to convince him they can deliver a car capable of winning titles. But when you look at it, there are a few parallels to when Lewis Hamilton left McLaren for Mercedes in 2013—and that turned out pretty well.

My biggest reservation? Lance Stroll. Can Aston Martin realistically challenge for a Constructors’ title with him in the other car? Maybe he’d be a decent number two, but his continued presence in the team feels like it undermines the cutthroat rhetoric of Papa Stroll’s bold ambitions.

What do you think? Could Aston Martin pull off a project like this? And, more importantly, could you see Verstappen actually making the leap?