Many in F1 paddock expected ‘earthquake’ Max Verstappen announcement before 2025 season

Max Verstappen claimed his fourth consecutive title in a 2024 season that caused utter chaos in the drive market.

Lewis Hamilton’s sensational move to Ferrari sent the driver market into a frenzy. The Maranello outfit were the catalyst for several drivers becoming available such as Carlos Sainz and Olvier Bearman – after the latter replaced the former in Saudi Arabia.

Heading into 2025, there have been 10 drivers transfers compared to zero from the previous year – the first time that ever happened in F1 history. Only McLaren and Aston Martin have kept their driver pairings the same from 2024.

There will also be six new full-time drivers on the grid in 2025 with four making the step up from F2. Three have already made their debuts in F1 (Liam Lawson, Bearman and Jack Doohan) and will be looking to make an impression this season.

But while all of these movements in the driver market create an exciting season ahead, there was one that never came to fruition that many were expecting to happen.

Many people in the F1 paddock were expected ‘earthquake’ Max Verstappen move to Mercedes before 2025 season

As per a report from Motorsport.com, it looked as though ‘F1 was about to experience another earthquake almost immediately’ after Hamilton’s move to Ferrari.

Naturally, Mercedes were in need of a replacement for the seven-time champion – and they had their hearts set on signing Verstappen.

The Dutchman’s future with Red Bull was thrown into uncertainty at the start of the season. The internal civil war between the two sides of the ownership – sparked by the allegations against Christian Horner – lef to speculation that Verstappen could leave the team.

This was heightened by Adrian Newey’s departure, with Helmut Marko rumoured to follow him, but the Austrian signed a new deal with Red Bull. Marko’s contract denied an exit clause in Verstappen’s contract that would have allowed him to leave if the 81-year-old did.

Toto Wolff was open about his interest in the Dutchman and looked to strike a deal. Verstappen’s camp did hold talks with Wolff over a potential move but nothing materialised.

These discussions led ‘many in the paddock’ to believe that it was ‘highly likely’ that Verstappen world move to Mercedes ‘as early as 2025’. But the 27-year-old remained at Red Bull, with the Silver Arrows signing Kimi Antonelli to partner with George Russell for this season.

Max Verstappen is reportedly in talks with Aston Martin

Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull expires in 2028 but the Dutchman’s future is still uncertain heading into the new technical regulations in 2026.

Red Bull will part ways with Honda next year to begin supplying their own power unit in collaboration with Ford. While it is an exciting step fo the organisation, Verstappen could leave before 2026 if he is unsatisfied with what he sees.

It appears that the prospect of the four-time champion moving away from Red Bull is very real. Verstappen is reportedly already in talks with Aston Martin over a potential move.

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A move to the Silverstone-based outfit would make the most sense for Verstappen. Aston Martin will run with Honda engines come 2026 – who have given the Dutchman incredible success with Red Bull.

Furthermore, it will mark a reunion with Adrian Newey who will be firmly in his post with the team designing their 2026 challenger. Peter Windsor does not think Verstappen will take the offer from Aston Martin, but Newey could convince him.

Lawrence Stroll is willing to do whatever it takes to sign Verstappen – and the businessman will have a decision to make with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll contracted until the end of next season.