Wanted: New team-mate for Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso
07 Feb 2025 6:45 AM

Max Verstappen in animated conversation with Christian Horner at Silverstone 2024
Max Verstappen has revealed that his father Jos Verstappen is no longer interested in a Le Mans 24 Hours assault along with Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso.
Verstappen has cemented his place alongside the greatest drivers in F1 history over recent years, sealing a fourth consecutive World Championship in F1 2024.
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It saw Verstappen become only the second man to win his first four Drivers’ titles in successive years, following in the footsteps of Red Bull icon Sebastian Vettel, who dominated F1 between 2010-13.
Despite his astronomical success, Verstappen has frequently voiced his willingness to sample other forms of motor racing including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the highlight of the World Endurance Championship calendar.
The 27-year-old had planned to share a car with Alonso, the two-time F1 World Champion who twice won Le Mans with Toyota in 2018/19, and his father Jos, who claimed two podiums in 106 F1 starts between 1994-2003.
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However, Verstappen has revealed that he and Alonso will be forced to find a new team-mate after his father, who will turn 53 next month, admitted that he no longer has the desire to take on Le Mans.
Asked about his plans to compete at Le Mans alongside Alonso, he told the Mirror: “It’s in the back of our minds. We know that we want to do it.
“[Jos] is still very good at it [but] he doesn’t want to. He just doesn’t want to do it anymore.
“It’s fine, let’s see what happens. A lot of things can happen.
“There are many great drivers that you can pick from [instead]. I have a lot of friends also who race, so it will be hard to pick one.”
Verstappen went on to reveal that he would prefer a lightweight driver to replace his father, with no minimum weight limit in place at Le Mans.
He added: “The only thing is, for Le Mans, there’s no minimum weight for the driver.
“I’m quite a heavy competitor, so I would have to find light team-mates to compensate.
“Fernando is quite light so that would be very good for us, but we would need to find another one.”
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Verstappen’s comments come just weeks after the reigning World Champion was linked with a stunning move to Aston Martin, potentially before his Red Bull contract expires at the end of the F1 2028 season.
A newspaper report last month claimed that Aston Martin have been attempting to woo potential sponsors by claiming that Verstappen will join the team in the near future.
The claim was firmly denied by the team, who issued the following statement to PlanetF1.com: “An Aston Martin Aramco spokesperson categorically denied the story.”
Verstappen’s camp, meanwhile, reportedly responded to the report with the comment: “That’s nice.”
PlanetF1.com understands that both of Aston Martin’s current race drivers, Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll, are under contract for at least the next two seasons.
A respected F1 reporter recently claimed, however, that talks to take Verstappen to Aston Martin are “ongoing.”
That came after former Red Bull driver and Dutch F1 pundit Robert Doornbos revealed last summer that Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll is “sparing no expense” in his efforts to land Verstappen with “advances” made to the World Champion.
Verstappen signed a long-term contract extension with Red Bull following his maiden title-winning season in 2021, officially tying him to the team until the end of 2028.
However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed to media including PlanetF1.com at last year’s Dutch Grand Prix that Verstappen’s contract contains a “performance element” that could potentially allow him to leave if the team fail to provide a competitive car.
It has been speculated that Verstappen will be free to trigger an exit clause if he is lower than third in the Drivers’ standings after a significant part of the F1 2025 season has been completed.
Despite being frequently linked with a move to Mercedes over the last month, Aston Martin represent a compelling alternative option after the team lured F1 design legend Adrian Newey from Red Bull last year.
PlanetF1.com recently revealed that Newey is due to start work with his new employers on March 2 in the newly created role of managing technical partner, with the 66-year-old set to lead the development of the team’s car for the new F1 2026 rules.
Aston Martin will also enter a technical partnership with Honda, Red Bull’s current engine suppliers, from next year, with Mr Stroll targeting a title assault in the coming years.
Verstappen remained tight lipped when he was asked if he would be open to becoming Alonso’s F1 team-mate in the future.
He told Spanish publication Marca: “In the future, it’s very difficult to say what will happen.
“I’m very happy to have been able to race with Fernando.”
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