'Aston Martin target to bring in Max Verstappen with £1billion bid'
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Rumors
Aston Martin would like to do everything it can to bring in Max Verstappen. According to the Daily Mail, the deal would be worth £1 billion. It is reported that talks with sponsors about the Dutchman joining the Silverstone-based team are already underway.
According to the British newspaper, Aston Martin are telling potential sponsors that Max Verstappen will join the team as they aim to have a shot at the world title. A deal of more than one billion pounds would be involved in the deal, which would be the largest in the history of the sport.
Verstappen would not earn that amount in a single season, but over several years at Aston Martin. It is suggested that the now four-time world champion would receive £200 million a year.
What Aston Martin wants to pay Max Verstappen
The Daily Mail understands that Jefferson Slack, who is the managing director of Aston Martin, when recently talking to potential investors, mentioned that Max Verstappen is joining the team. Aston Martin declined the rumour, naming having two drivers already under contract as reason.
Whether Max Verstappen himself would make the switch happen remains to be seen. The Dutchman still has a contract with Red Bull Racing until 2028 and recently expressed that he would like to complete his deal with the Austrians. Still, Red Bull Racing would have to do better in the upcoming season to compete for the world title again.
Although Aston Martin are not currently competing for the world title, they do have two importante assets: Adrian Newey and Honda. Verstappen worked with Adrian Newey for many years at Red Bull Racing and has been driving with Honda engines in his Red Bull cars since 2019. Moreover, all of his championships have been achieved with Honda engines.
Collaborating again with Newey could particularly be interesting. Aston Martin's new shareholder and Managing Technical Partner, who will start working for Aston Martin in March, was recently mentioned by Jos Verstappen as key person that is missed at Red Bull Racing.
Does Max Verstappen want to go to Aston Martin?
"The fact is that the car did not improve when he [Newey] left the team. In particular, the updates no longer worked as desired. I have talked enough about the reasons why the team is in danger of falling apart. Let's leave it at that. One thing is certain: Red Bull has a big challenge ahead of it in 2025," Jos Verstappen previously told F1-Insider.
In 2026, Red Bull Racing will begin an important chapter in their F1 history. The Red Bull Powertrains-Ford will be the Austrians first own engine, whereas Aston Martin will get a factory engine from Honda, the brand Verstappen won his titles with.
However, Aston Martin are not the only team that hope to sign Verstappen. The Dutchman also held talks with Mercedes' Toto Wolff back in 2024. The Germans' team principal is still very keen on bringing Verstappen to Mercedes. For now, however, Verstappen remains at Red Bull Racing.
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sárközi
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