Red Bull faces the real threat of losing its star driver, Max Verstappen, if they do not improve their form on track.
Verstappen is now third and only six points ahead of George Russell in the Drivers’ Championship, which would be enough to trigger an exit clause in the Dutchman’s Red Bull contract.
The RB21 has proven to be a difficult car to drive for Verstappen, who is struggling to replicate his usual dominant form in 2025 with a car that is harder to get into a working window.
Red Bull could have further headaches at the Spanish Grand Prix, when a new technical directive is set to come into force concerning front wing flexibility.
With the problems facing Red Bull and a difficult outlook on 2026 when the new engine and chassis regulations come into play, Verstappen could be tempted to move to another team on the grid.
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya thinks he will be considering one potential team when speaking with AS Colombia.
Juan Pablo Montoya thinks Max Verstappen will be ‘winning everything’ he switches to Aston Martin
Aston Martin has endured one of its worst seasons to date with Fernando Alonso yet to score points in the opening six races of the campaign, with Martin Brundle calling them ‘painfully slow’ and difficult to watch.
But behind the scenes, they are working hard on generating a title-contending car for 2026, having secured the services of legendary F1 design guru Adrian Newey.
It has long been thought that Verstappen could make the move to Aston Martin to reunite with Newey, having seen so much success with him at Red Bull. Montoya believes this would be the most likely scenario if he leaves the Milton Keynes squad.
“I don’t think next year will be as spectacular, but three to four years from now, if not two, they’re going to be winning everything,” said Montoya.
“If Aston Martin looks like it is going to do really well in the future, Max will be driving there. That’s my prediction.”
Aston Martin could be title contenders as early as 2026
Much of the work behind the scenes at Aston Martin has been the result of investment from billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll, who bought the team back in 2018 from Vijay Mallya when it was known as Force India.
Aston Martin’s F1 team is now worth £1.6bn (according to Forbes) having seen success globally and earned eight podiums in 2023 with Alonso.
The team has also signed talent from championship-winning teams, including Andy Cowell from Mercedes who was responsible for their highly successful power units.
Aston Martin’s technical team was also bolstered by Newey and a few other Red Bull engineers, which should help them on the chassis side for the new regulations.
