Talk of a possible departure from Red Bull for the four-time world champion dominated last summer, before Verstappen publicly reaffirming his commitment to the Austrian team for the 2026 season at the Hungaroring, bringing the speculation to an end.

The discussion was reignited in recent days after German outlet Bild claimed that Verstappen could activate an exit clause in 2026 if he is not among the top two in the standings by the summer break.

Appearing on the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Schumacher insisted that he would only see such a move as realistic under one specific condition.

Despite a number of teams already completing shakedowns or launching their 2026 machinery, the car penned by Adrian Newey is not scheduled to be unveiled until February — after the Barcelona pre-season test has taken place.

Fans hoping to see the Silverstone-based team's new challenger on Monday will likely be disappointed. It appears that Aston Martin will not be on track during the first of five days of winter testing in Barcelona.

GPblog understands that the team intends to finalise its Barcelona running plan only at the start of next week. As Monday already is day one of testing, that option seems effectively ruled out. Tuesday could also be a day the new Aston Martin won't be on track due to poor weather conditions.