Mercedes or Aston Martin- Red Bull boss Helmut Marko Predicts Max Verstappen's next F1 team

The 2025 Formula 1 season hasn't even started but we already have many speculations regarding Max Verstappen’s F1 future. The 4-time world champion is the best Red Bull driver in the last decade. He is currently dominating the pinnacle of motorsport with back-to-back championship wins. 

But many predict that the Dutchman won't stay at Red Bull after the 2026 season. Although Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull till the end of the 2028 season, some key clauses in the contract allow him to withdraw from the team earlier if they fail to provide him with a championship-winning car. 

The Austrian team is struggling with pace and balance issues in their car, which were clearly visible during the last season. McLaren and Ferrari have overtaken Red Bull as the faster teams. Verstappen has retained his championship against Lando Norris only because of his superior racing talent and aggressive driving skills.

But there is no guarantee that he could achieve the same this year. We already have information regarding Mercedes approaching Max Verstappen after Lewis Hamilton’s exit last year but the champion rejected their contract. This year we had news about Aston Martin approaching Max with a jaw-dropping 1 billion euro deal.

Though both parties rejected the news, there is no smoke without fire. Adran Newey and Honda will work at Aston Martin from the 2026 season. The two played a big role in Verstappen's career achievements and championship wins. With the rule change in 2026, any team could be a championship-winning team. Aston Martin has already started recruiting the best people to their team. Max Verstappen would be more than happy to move to Aston Martin.

Verstappen's 2026 team

Meanwhile, Red Bull boss Helmut Marko has finally spoken about Max Verstappen’s future in the team. Marko believes the team's progress and development of the new RB21 are encouraging and it could change Verstappen’s mind if he decides to leave the team by the end of the 2025 season. The Austrian said, “I don't comment on the content of the contract, but in any case, we are confident that we can provide Max with a good car. Our engineers have made good progress with the data. We are optimistic."

Talking about Max Verstappen's contract, Marko said, “That’s all well and good, but Max has a contract with us until the end of 2028. Especially because I know how loyal and grateful he is to Red Bull. That is why he will also be a Red Bull driver in 2026 as a five-time world champion.” Max Verstappen will defend his F1 title this year for the fifth time.

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