Aston Martin have been backed in the battle to eventually sign Max Verstappen, by another Dutch ex-R🧸ed Bull driver.

The future of Verstappen has been a hot topic within Formula 1 all year, despite the continuation of his dominance which remജains likely to yield a fourth consecutiv꧟e championship this season.

But controversies that included Christian Horner, Helmut Marko and his father Jos Verstappen at various stages of 🍷the campaign have led rivals to dream of recruiting the F1 champion.

Mercedes’ Toto Wolff had earlier admitted his admirati𝓡on and, although it now seems certain that Verstappe༒n will stick with Red Bull next year, there could be a longer-term battle to sign him.

“Max Verstappen’s relationship with Mercedes remains strong,” said Robert Doornbos, a former Red Bull ไtest and reserve driver who now works as an F1 analyst.

“Mercedes has an open seat for 2025, and it’s likeဣly that during the Monza 𝔍weekend, they’ll announce that Kimi Antonelli will get the chance to debut in Formula 1 alongside George Russell.

“I still believe Max will jo𒈔in Mercedes in 2026, although Aston Martin will do everything to sway him, sparing no expense.”

Doornbos previously said: “With two-time champi🦋on 🧜Fernando Alonso already on board and advances made to Max Verstappen, they’re aiming for the best of the best.”

Aston Martin have made 🍌little secret of their ambition to progress to the front🐲 of F1.

The deep po🌺ckets of billionaire owner Lawrence Str✱oll make their dreams a possibility, and he has already invested in a new contract to keep Alonso until the end of 2026.

The F1 team also boast a brand-new Silverstone facility, and will link up with Ho♐nda as a new engine partner.

2026 is when the new F1🍨 regulations kick in, giving every team on t☂he grid the possibility to fly out of the blocks faster than their rivals.

Aston Martin, inಞ addition to the scrap to attra༒ct Verstappen, are also credited as a possible destination for Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey.

However,♋ Mercedes remain an attractive proposition for anyone - perhaps, including Verstappen - and talk within the F1 paddock is that their 2026 engine could be the envy of their rivals.