Aston Martin urged to replace Alonso with Verstappen

Six-time F1 race winner Juan Pablo Montoya has backed Aston Martin to sign Max Verstappen.

Verstappen's future at Red Bull has been the topic of speculation for some time, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff publicly pursuing the Dutchman for much of the year before opting to sign Kimi Antonelli in place of Lewis Hamilton.

Aston Martin recently confirmed the signing of Adrian Newey, a key figure behind Red Bull's success during its F1 history.

When asked what the “missing ingredient” for success is at the Silverstone-based team, Montoya told Gambling Zone: “To get the right driver, a driver to get the job done.”

With Alonso currently driving at 43 years of age and Lance Stroll the son of team owner Lawrence, Montoya has backed Verstappen to lead the team going forward.

“Fernando is amazing,” Montoya added. “How long can he go on? I don't think Lance is going anywhere.

“Fernando is not a long-term option. When do they make that decision and go, ‘Hey, we’ve got the Honda, we’ve got Newey. Why not go after Max?' 

“That would involve offering Max the same kind of deal that Newey got but a better one to do.”

Montoya added Verstappen would have a seismic commercial benefit for Aston Martin should he opt to sign for the team.

“Because then it's a long-term project,” he stated. “Then you have one of the best drivers in the world, if not the best, the current best driver in the championship.

“The better he does, the more money he's going to make long term. Because the company is going to be worth even more.”