At the recent F1 75 Event in London’s O2 Arena, Max Verstappen, the current Formula 1 champion, found himself fielding questions about a supposed offer from Aston Martin to join their team. The Dutch driver was quick to dismiss the rumor, saying, “It’s a lot of money,” in reference to the alleged one billion dollar offer. He also confessed that the idea seems like “complete madness” and stated, “Honestly, when I read that, it was the first time I saw something like that.”
The news of Aston Martin’s offer initially broke during the winter break, courtesy of the Daily Mail, which reported that the team had indeed offered Verstappen a staggering sum to switch sides. However, it didn’t take long for the Red Bull pilot to come out and deny the rumor, which he believes was exaggerated by the English press a few months ago.
While Verstappen hasn’t denied having some form of conversation with Aston Martin, he clarified that their discussion was about something entirely different from what the rumors suggested. “The only contact I had with them was about GT3 for this year. That’s all. There is not much to say because there is nothing,” he explained.
Horner Weighs In, Denies the Offer
Christian Horner, not one to shy away from giving his opinion, chimed in on the topic of Aston Martin’s supposed offer. He acknowledged the media’s need to fill columns during the off-season but maintained that a billion-dollar contract for a driver would be an “exorbitant amount of money.” Horner also expressed his confidence in Verstappen’s happiness within the Red Bull environment, stating, “I think Max is very happy in the environment in which he is. He has grown up in the team and has a great relationship with the team engineers, technicians, and all who work with him.” Horner emphasized that as long as they can provide a competitive car, they should be able to keep Verstappen on board, achieving the results he has in recent years.
Verstappen was photographed alongside Marko and Horner, and while there’s been speculation about his potential departure from Red Bull, Horner’s comments suggest that the team is committed to keeping their star driver. With the F1 season heating up, fans will be keeping a close eye on Verstappen’s performance and any developments regarding his future with Red Bull.