Fernando Alonso says he doesn’t see Max Verstappen as a threat to his Aston Martin seat next year, despite rumours linking the Dutch driver with the Formula 1 team.
Verstappen’s future at Red Bull remains a topic of discussion in the paddock as the team has fallen behind some of its rivals in the first few races of the 2025 season.
He has a contract with Red Bull until 2028, but speculation this week increased after Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admitted he had concerns that Verstappen could leave the team early if it didn’t manage to raise its game quickly after the world champion finished a distant sixth in the Bahrain GP.
Marko had revealed before that Verstappen’s contract has performance-related clauses that could allow him to leave before it expires.
Aston Martin, which now has the services of Adrian Newey and will be powered by Honda engines from next year, has been one of the teams linked to Verstappen should the Dutchman were to leave Red Bull, despite having Alonso and Lance Stroll, the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, tied down on long-term contracts.
Two-time F1 champion Alonso believes the speculation highlights the potential of Aston Martin’s project in the future, but refutes the idea that Verstappen could replace him soon.
Alonso has ruled out driving until he is 50
Asked if he saw Verstappen as a threat to his seat, Alonso said: “I don’t think so, as I have a contract for next year, but 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 are Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari.
“So this shows the project that we are in and the future that this team has.”
The Spanish driver said he would welcome Verstappen as his team-mate, but conceded “It’s unlikely to happen. Very unlikely”.
Alonso, who will turn 44 this year, has not disclosed the length of his contract with Aston Martin but claimed he could be racing for as long as he feels capable of doing.
After that, he plans to continue working with Aston in another capacity.
“My contract is much longer than my racing career”
“As I said, always, even last year when I extended the contract: I will drive for as long as I feel fast and I feel competitive and the team needs me behind the wheel, but my contract is much longer than my racing career, so I will stay with this team for many many years in a different goal.
“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.”
“If it’s behind the wheel, I will extend the contract. If they think that way and I feel motivated, if it’s in another position or I don’t feel fast enough, I will be the first one to raise my hand.”
Helmut Marko caused a stir after the Bahrain GP with his worries that Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull early. But how real are those fears?
By
Pablo Elizalde
The 43-year-old accepts that he’ll be retiring before he hits half a century.
“Not when I’m 50. I don’t know. I wanted to race this year for sure and next year for sure because it was the change of regulations and I wanted to experience the 2026 rules and Honda coming to the team and, you know, having then the surprise that Adrian was joining the team a few months after that.
“There were things that they were appealing last year when we sat together and negotiated the contract. But after 2026, I don’t know. I will go season by season. I will see how I feel, motivated I am.
“Now I am very motivated, but I cannot guarantee that for three, four years and compromise the team. So we said, ‘let’s do it until the end of 2026’.
“From then on, I think I have an incredible relationship with Lawrence and with Lance and we can sit and talk honestly between all of us and check what is best for the team and I will be always in a position to help the team with whatever they need.”
