Fernando Alonso says rumours Max Verstappen will join Aston Martin are good for the team – but he doubts they will ever be team mates.

Verstappen has won the last four world championships in a row but has only won one of the four rounds so far this year. Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko has claimed Verstappen may be able to take advantage of an exit clause in his contract to leave the team at the end of the season.

Although Aston Martin is only seventh in the constructors’ championship, the team has invested heavily in building a new, state-of-the-art factory, has attracted several top engineers including former Red Bull design ace Adrian Newey and will have a works engine deal for the first time next year, with Honda. Verstappen has often praised the Japanese manufacturer who powered him to all of his world championship wins.

Following speculation Aston Martin could lure Verstappen away from Red Bull, Alonso said: “I see the rumours as very good for the team.”

“The world champion is sometimes linked with some other teams and a possible departure from Red Bull and the teams that they are commenting on are Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari. So this shows
the project that we are in and the future that this team has.”

He does not see Verstappen as a threat to his seat. “I don’t think so,” he said, “as I have a contract for next year.” Although he said he would be happy to share a team with Verstappen, Alonso believes “it’s unlikely to happen, very unlikely.”

Alonso, who will turn 44 this year, signed a new deal with Aston Martin last season and expects to remain with the team even after he finishes driving.

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“Last year when I extended the contract I said that I will drive for as long as I feel fast and I feel competitive and the team needs me behind the wheel,” he said. “But my contract is much longer than my racing career.

“I will stay with this team for many, many years in a different role. If that means that we can win a world championship, even when I’m not behind the wheel, I will still feel very proud of the project.”

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