Who needs Verstappen? The F1 champion that can bring Aston Martin 2026 glory

There has been lots of talk about Aston Martin's driver lineup recently, and whether Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are really the stars that can take the team to championship success.

The team have been linked with stunning driver transfer moves like four-time world champion Max Verstappen, and Mercedes' in-form racer George Russell, but have constantly reiterated that they will stick with Alonso and Stroll until at least the end of their contracts at the end of 2026.

Aston Martin are starting an exciting new power unit partnership with Honda in 2026, plus they have added the wealth of knowledge of design legend Adrian Newey and former Ferrari man Enrico Cardile.

On top of this, they have a brand new state-of-the-art facility, an ambitious team owner, and wholesale regulation changes that are sweeping into F1 from next season.

But surely they need to change their driver lineup, right? Or do they...

Alonso's stunning season turnaround

Throw it back a few months, and Aston Martin were looking like they were in a real muddle.

Alonso was yet to score a point, Stroll was streets ahead of the two-time world champion in the drivers' championship, and the team were fighting for eighth in the constructors' standings.

Heading into the summer break, however, Aston Martin all of a sudden find themselves up in sixth, and have a real chance of fighting Williams for a top-five finish. Which would be a remarkable achievement for this year.

Alonso has scored 26 points in the last six race weekends, and his performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix was nothing short of magnificent.

The 44-year-old rolled back the years to put his AMR25 in fifth during qualifying, and then managed to hold onto that position during the race and bag 10 points for the team.

Any early season signs that the Spaniard's performances may have taken a permanent downward trend as he nears the end of his career have been banished in recent weeks, and he will surely be buoyed by the chance to drive a Newey-designed car for the first time next year.

His young team-mate isn't too bad either.

Stroll's upward curve

Following two seasons in which he struggled hugely compared to team-mate Alonso, Stroll has quietly put in a very good season in 2025.

The Canadian already has more points this year than he managed to score the whole of last year, and until the Hungarian GP was ahead of Alonso in the standings.

While his qualifying performances have left a lot to be desired - he is yet to beat Alonso in a single grand prix qualifying session in 2025 - Stroll's race pace has been consistent and he is the only reason the team were not rooted to the bottom of the standings during Alonso's eight-race point-less run.

On top of this, Stroll is still only 26 years of age, and has plenty of room to still grow as an F1 driver.

He is learning a lot from racing with a man who has now spent a whopping 22 seasons racing in the sport, and who has won 32 grands prix.

Plus, both Alonso and Stroll get on well, and there has never been any bad blood between the two Aston Martin team-mates.

The Silverstone-based outfit have the ambition of being world champions in the years succeeding the 2026 regulation changes, and they could do a lot worse than tying down their current driver pairing for another year together post-2026.

@gpfanscrew Do you think Alonso and Stroll can power Aston Martin to world championship success? 🤔#f1 #fyp #f1tiktok #f12025 #astonmartin ♬ original sound - GPFans Pitcrew

READ MORE: F1 world champions: Full list from Farina to four-time King Verstappen

READ MORE: F1 2025 driver lineup: Big names on the move as full grid complete

READ MORE: F1 drivers age: How old are Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen, Norris and co?

F1 HEADLINES: Marko reveals shock Red Bull rival talks as Verstappen disagreement surfaces

Related

F1 Analysis

The F1 driver with a LIFETIME contract on the grid

• July 24, 2025 10:56

Off the track

Aston Martin and Mercedes handed defeat ahead of Belgian GP

• July 18, 2025 21:57