Liam Lawson graduates from Racing Bulls to partner Max Verstappen, with Isack Hadjar replacing him in turn. For the first time since 2020, all four drivers are products of the team’s academy.
On paper, that might look like a healthy situation. But it remains precarious.
Red Bull aren’t convinced by Yuki Tsunoda, otherwise they would have promoted him by now. It may be that he’s simply seeing out the final year of his contract before moving elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Red Bull weren’t planning to promote Hadjar until Perez’s form deteriorated. That suggests he’s still a long way from a seat at the top team.
As such, if the inexperienced Lawson struggles, Christian Horner is without an obvious alternative. And if the worst should happen and Verstappen leaves, they will suddenly appear extremely weak.
According to MotorSportMagazine journalist Mark Hughes, Horner was seen visiting the Aston Martin facility in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix paddock in December. This was a convenient chance to hold negotiations before the winter break.
Hughes doesn’t know the purpose of Horner’s visit for certain. It’s unlikely that it related to Adrian Newey, who’s leaving Red Bull to join Aston, because the timeline for his exit has remained the same since.
It’s also possible that Horner was discussing the release of Honda employees. The Bulls are splitting with the Japanese manufacturer ahead of the 2026 regulation changes, with Aston Martin effectively becoming their works team.
But after Newey decided that Lance Stroll wasn’t ‘good enough’ and Fernando Alonso was too old, team owner Lawrence Stroll has reportedly put together a £1bn package for Verstappen. And Hughes says negotiations might have taken place in Yas Marina.
He tables a remarkable suggestion that Alonso could move to Red Bull in 2026 as part of an effective swap deal. The two-time world champion could be a suitable short-term solution to the aforementioned driver problem at Milton Keynes.
The consensus in the F1 paddock is that Aston Martin will be the team to beat in 2026. Of course, it’s still very early to make that prediction, so it remains theoretical for now.
But with an exclusive Honda deal, the design genius of Newey and the leadership of Andy Cowell (formerly the head of Mercedes’ engine department), Aston have the key ingredients to be a contender.
They now want to sign arguably the sport’s best driver to become borderline unstoppable.
Verstappen’s camp insist they haven’t received a £1bn offer from the Silverstone team. He’s under contract until the end of 2028, but his deal features exit clauses.
The most recent reports suggest Verstappen is negotiating with Aston Martin, even if he hasn’t made a firm decision just yet.
Perhaps the rules revolution presents the ideal moment to change teams in the hope of extending his dominance.
