Jolyon Palmer has spotted a Fernando Alonso ‘theory’ that means Max Verstappen won’t join Aston Martin

Max Verstappen has a plethora of options available to him should he decide to leave Red Bull Racing at the end of the season.

While Max Verstappen hasn’t been the one generating the noise around his future, it’s certainly caught the attention of several teams in the paddock.

Mercedes have been interested in signing Verstappen ever since team principal Toto Wolff spotted him as a junior driver before his F1 debut.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t offer him an immediate route into Formula 1, while Helmut Marko and Christian Horner were able to place the Dutchman in Red Bull’s junior team; Toro Rosso.

Ralf Schumacher suggested Alpine might be keen on signing Verstappen, although it’s hard to currently see the appeal of joining Oliver Oakes’ team at this stage.

However, the name that won’t away when discussing the 27-year-old next step if he chooses to walk away from Red Bull is Aston Martin.

Aston Martin are prepared to make a huge offer to Verstappen to secure his signature, and the appeal of working alongside Adrian Newey and Honda again might be alluring for the Dutchman.

However, Jolyon Palmer has a theory about why he won’t join the Silverstone-based team, and it involves Fernando Alonso.

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Fernando Alonso’s 2025 struggles could stop Max Verstappen from joining Aston Martin

Palmer was speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast and was discussing Verstappen’s future and whether he might end up leaving Red Bull, and when analysing his options, he said, “The problem is, Mercedes is the obvious choice, isn’t it?

“But I just think George is doing too well. Kimi’s so young and they’ve locked themselves in there. He’s doing well enough that they can’t get rid of him again within a year.

“And George, I think he’s doing too well, he’s stepped up well as team leader there, and I don’t see that being an option with the way that Russell’s going.

“So then you are looking at Aston Martin and the lure of Aston Martin, it seems nonsense as we sit here, but, Adrian Newey coming on board, who has had a great partnership with Max, and Honda, and the new infrastructure they’ve got there as well, the wind tunnel that’s now fully functional.

“There’s been a lot of investment there, and there’s a new set of regulations coming.

“So, kind of in theory, what’s happening now on track, which is pretty terrible, won’t be affecting next year in theory.

“But I still think, I do kind of agree if you’re Max, and you look down and you see Fernando Alonso on zero points after five races, and you think, even if the theory works out, I don’t know if I would back that as a decision.”

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What Fernando Alonso has said about this season’s Aston Martin that might deter Max Verstappen move

Alonso is currently one of four drivers who is yet to score a point this season after the first five race weekends.

The other three drivers are all full-season rookies and even his Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll has 10 points to his name.

Alonso has a contract until the end of 2026, which might end up being a complication should the team decide to pursue Verstappen properly.

Before the season started, Alonso made some bold predictions about Aston Martin’s chances that haven’t materialised, and since then his mood hasn’t improved.

Martin Brundle noticed Alonso being ‘seriously unhappy’ after the race in Saudi Arabia, and even though Aston Martin are expecting to be more competitive in 2026, that might be enough to put Verstappen off a potential move.