Aston Martin told to address Lance Stroll “question mark” amid $1bn deal rumour

Aston Martin must address Lance Stroll’s long-term future if they are serious about becoming F1 title winners, it has been claimed.

The ambitious Silverstone-based team denied a Daily Mail report that they have prepared an offer worth £1 billion to tempt Max Verstappen across from Red Bull.

However, the signing of car design genius Adrian Newey proves that Aston Martin are bullish about winning drivers’ and constructors’ prizes.

However, deciding what to do with Stroll - the son of owner Lawrence Stroll - is key to plotting their route, they have been warned.

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“The biggest question mark that Aston Martin will have to address,” Lewis Larkam told the Crash F1 podcast.

“I spoke to Mike Krack in Abu Dhabi and he said critics are right to say that the results aren’t matching what comes out.

“It’s a mid to long-term project and 2026 is the focus. 2025 will probably be similar to what we’ve seen.

“Long-term the biggest dilemma for them is the one surrounding Lance.

“His dad will probably want to keep him in that seat. Lance, it’s hard to read him! He doesn’t look like he’s enjoying himself.

“But speaking to Mike in Abu Dhabi, it seems that it’s just the media side that [Lance] doesn’t enjoy.

“Ultimately if we’re talking about having the best driver line-up, and if they want to be serious title contenders, I’d be picking Verstappen and Alonso, not replacing Alonso with Verstappen.

“That, to me, is the line-up that puts you in contention for at least the constructors’.

“Part of me thinks Lance would be a good teammate for Max!

“He obviously wouldn’t challenge Max, and Max would lead the charge. He’s shown at Red Bull he can do the heavy lifting of bagging points and winning points on his own.

“But from a purely competitive side, I don’t see where Lance fits in if they’re truly serious about becoming serial winners.”

Max Verstappen 'interest' in Aston Martin?

There is no confirmation to Aston Martin’s interest in Verstappen, but the onset of the 2026 regulations could level the playing field.

Aston Martin hope that Newey will create them a car fast enough for the title, which in turn could tempt any driver on the grid.

“From Aston Martin’s perspective, of course they would be interested in signing Max,” Lewis Larkam added.

“If they are truly serious about having title ambitions in the future and becoming a front-running, race-winning team, then they need to have the best team. They are in the process of putting those building blocks in place with high-profile signings.

“They also need the best driver and there is no better driver than Max.

“From their point of view, they would absolutely want Max.

“The bigger question mark is whether Max wants that move.

“This season, the story of Verstappen’s future will continue to rumble on.

“He is contracted to Red Bull until 2028 but contracts mean very little in F!

“He wants to put himself in the best position to win.

“I do think the idea of a new challenge would appeal to him. He has mentioned multiple times that outright success is not something that drives him.

“Would he be interested in that project? I think he would be. The foundations are becoming a reality, everything we hear is very positive, they have brought in Adrian Newey.

“He didn’t rule out the possibility of one day reuniting with Newey.

But clearly from a pure performance point of view, Aston Martin are not there, at the moment. That’s something that Verstappen would have to factor in.

“I don’t think he’d join a team where Aston Martin currently are. Would it happen in 2026? That’s another question mark.”