£19m-a-year F1 driver now looking to ‘jump elsewhere’ after scoring points just three times during the 2025 season

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McLaren appear to have wrapped up both championships during the 2025 Formula 1 season already.

It means for the drivers of each of the other nine teams, their focus is already turning to next season and which car will be best suited to the changing Formula 1 regulations.

It has led to Max Verstappen being linked to Mercedes, which would cause a seismic shift in the F1 driver market.

There are plenty of whispers that Mercedes will have the best engine in 2026, while some people believe that Audi might be better placed than Ferrari next season due to their power unit expertise.

The majority of drivers are already signed up to contracts for 2026, but that doesn’t mean things can’t change.

One team that have been potentially exploring their options in the market are Aston Martin.

Aston Martin have been linked with George Russell if he loses his seat at Mercedes to Verstappen.

Journalist Joe Saward believes that one of their two current drivers is exploring the possibility of moving on at the end of the season.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

Fernando Alonso considering whether to ‘jump elsewhere’ from Aston Martin

Saward was speaking on the Missed Apex Podcast, and discussing Verstappen’s future, he explained: “My gut feeling is that there is still a potential for Max to move. Now, will Max move is a good question?

“I don’t know the answer to that, because nobody knows the answer to that, as we don’t know anything about the 2026 engine.

“And everybody can go, blah, blah, blah, about how good is this and how good is that, Mercedes can make a big noise about saying their engine is going to be better than everybody else’s, but nobody knows.

“You can actually sit there and justify most of the engines, apart from the Renault, which won’t be there anymore, you can justify most of the engine programs.

“We have no idea what the Japanese are doing, you have no idea what the Aston Martin/Honda [team are doing], that could be a winning car.

“But, I don’t get that impression because it looks to me like Fernando Alonso is trying to jump elsewhere, but that may be to do with money more than winning anything.”

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

How Fernando Alonso fits into the 2025 Formula 1 driver market

Alonso, who is on a £19m-a-year contract at Aston Martin, currently has a deal that runs until the end of next season, but has only scored points in each of the last three races.

However, if Lawrence Stroll is looking to bring in Russell, then he’s unlikely to drop his son, Lance Stroll, to make way for the Mercedes driver.

Earlier in the season, David Croft spotted Alonso walking into Alpine’s hospitality, and Flavio Briatore is unlikely to hesitate on signing the two-time world champion again if he becomes available.

He would also have access to Mercedes power units at the Anglo-French team, although any suggestion he’s thinking of joining the bottom team in the constructors’ championship has been waved away.

Another potential option for Alonso would be Red Bull if Verstappen leaves and Russell heads to Aston Martin.

Helmut Marko has talked about previously trying to sign Alonso, and it would be a fascinating final chapter in F1’s longest career.