Max Verstappen is reported to be in negotiations with the Aston Martin F1 team for a potential drive for the 2026 season and beyond. According to a report from the Italian publication Auto Sprint, the Silverstone team is trying to recruit the reigning F1 drivers’ champion and Adrian Newey.

Newey is reported by several publications to have toured the Silverstone facility around the British GP. The Red Bull Racing aerodynamic wizard is speculated to sign a 100 million dollar deal over four years with Aston Martin. The Auto Sprint report suggested that Lawrence Stroll’s ultimate ambition is to have Max Verstappen in his driver pairing. The Canadian billionaire has expressed his desire to transform the team into a winning squad on several occasions. The report suggested that the British car genius has been convinced by Stroll’s vision for the team.

The report doesn’t come as a surprise, as the first reports of a potential switch for Max Verstappen to Aston Martin surfaced in March. Amid internal turmoil within Red Bull, the Dutchman has been linked with both Mercedes and the Silverstone squad since. The initial reports had suggested Verstappen’s desire to move to the green outfit due to the Honda engines. With fuel becoming an important performance denominator in 2026, Aramco’s tie-up with Aston Martin makes them an attractive prospect.

The Auto Sprint report has emerged at a time when Red Bull is facing a threat from McLaren for the constructors’ championship. Apart from Newey leaving the team, key senior figure Jonathan Wheatley will also depart the Milton Keynes squad at the end of the year, to move to Audi F1 team. The organizational changes and recent complaints about car performance could prompt Max Verstappen to move to another team for 2026 and beyond, despite having a contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028. The three-time world champion’s frustrations with the car performance had become evident in Hungary, where he suggested that there were differences within the team about car development and improving its performance.

Max Verstappen makes admission about rivals McLaren and Mercedes after the Belgian GP

Max Verstappen claimed that McLaren is the quickest and Mercedes is catching up with them. He acknowledged that they were quicker than Ferrari but had their fair share of work cut out to get ahead of their rivals. The Dutchman finished fourth in the Belgian GP after taking an engine penalty and Sergio Perez finished seventh in the race.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the Belgium GP, Max Verstappen said:

“I think they are ahead of us. It depends. Sometimes McLaren, sometimes Mercedes. I think we were faster than Ferrari but coming from P11 we didn’t have enough time to pass them. We know that we have work to do. We know that we want to do better, we are of course not satisfied with this, but everyone is doing a great job and you have to take your hat off for that as well.”

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Both Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen have their titles being threatened by McLaren and Lando Norris. The reigning champion has a 78-point lead in the drivers’ standings, but with ten more races left on the calendar, that margin could diminish easily. In the constructors’ championship, Red Bull is only 42 points ahead of McLaren, compared to the 115-point lead they had in the championship after the Miami GP.