MAX VERSTAPPEN has been tipped to quit Red Bull after dominating Formula One.
Verstappen has won four world drivers titles on the spin in F1, putting him level with just five other drivers to have reached the figure.
However, Red Bull’s dominance in the sport has massively waned since the start of last season, with the Milton Keynes outfit now the third or fourth fastest car on the grid behind McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes.
The 2025 season is the final season of the current regulations before a changeover in 2026, and Verstappen has now been tipped to leave Red Bull for a new challenge with his contract expiring at the end of 2026.
Former F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya believes that destination could well be Aston Martin, owned by billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll.
Aston Martin have been busy setting up for the upcoming 2026 season with the arrival of legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey, who they poached from Red Bull.
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His expertise is one of the biggest reasons why Verstappen, whose Red Bull contract expires at the end of 2026, was so dominant – like Sebastian Vettel was before him.
But seven-time Grand Prix winner Montoya believes the 27-year-old will look to rekindle that partnership, but only if the team submit a huge offer for him.
A sensational report in January claimed Aston Martin were preparing a £1BILLION deal to land Verstappen, however, the team categorically denied this claim.
Speaking to Vision4Sport, where you can enquire about exclusive packages to the world’s best sporting events, Montoya said: “I think Max will get an offer he can’t refuse from Aston Martin.
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“He might give Red Bull a chance for a year and a chance for Adrian to start figuring it out.
“Adrian can’t do that immediately. It’s a new whole group, and everyone needs to start working together.
“Are they going to be better than where they are next year? For sure. But I don’t think they’re going to start winning a string of races.
“But if Red Bull struggles in year one, then it wouldn’t surprise me if by race three, Max has already signed with somebody else.
“If I were Max, I would go to Aston. Mercedes would be cool, too, but Aston would be the logical choice, having Adrian and Honda. Everything he has won with is there.”
Montoya also reckons Aston Martin will open up a new spot at the team for Fernando Alonso to become an ambassador and replace him with Verstappen.
He added: “If Verstappen joined Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso will retire and become an ambassador for life for the company.
“Fernando would be pissed off to a point, but it’s the right choice. If you take Lance out of the equation, then you lose Lawrence.
“And if you lose Lawrence, you lose everything. You lose Aston Martin, and then there’s no Max coming.
“If bringing Max would mean that Lawrence would have to sacrifice Lance, that would be the wrong choice for the team.
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“If they forced Lawrence to do that. I think he would say, ‘Okay, here’s the team. Over to you. Let’s just sell the team, I’m not interested.’”
Verstappen will have a new team-mate in Yuki Tsunoda for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix after Christian Horner and Co. axed Liam Lawson after two disastrous race weekends.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
