Max Verstappen gets €264m ‘deal of the century offer’ from F1 rival
Could Max Verstappen be tempted to leave Red Bull for the F1 'deal of the century'?
Aston Martin are preparing to poach Max Verstappen away from Red Bull in what would be the F1 “deal of the century”, a new report has claimed.
The Silverstone-based squad are prepared to offer an astronomical €264m (£226m) over three years covering the 2026, 2027 and 2028 F1 seasons in order to secure Verstappen’s services, according to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Aston Martin appear determined to sign Verstappen, who has also been linked with Mercedes, but La Gazzetta claim the team owned by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll are in “pole” position.
This huge offer would reportedly be financed by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is keen to take over the ownership of the team, the report claims.
PIF already owns 20% of Aston Martin Lagonda and sponsors the F1 team through oil giant Aramco.
It would see Verstappen's current yearly salary of around €50m increase to €88m.
Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell was grilled about this report on Friday at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Aston Martin reaffirmed their faith in current drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, both of whom are contracted into 2026 and beyond.
Max Verstappen 'termination clause' tipped
Aston Martin are looking to capitalise on Red Bull’s struggles which have left four-time world champion Verstappen frustrated at the start of the 2025 season, despite only being eight points behind early leader Lando Norris.
Although Verstappen is contracted with Red Bull until 2028, his deal is known to contain performance-related exit clauses which would allow him to leave the team early.
“There are termination clauses that would allow him to free himself already at the end of this championship,” La Gazzetta states.
“The Mercedes was in pole. But the negotiation would have run aground in the face of the pilot's economic demands. Then came Aston Martin, with the petrodollars of the Saudi Fund, and plan B would take shape.
“So much so that Toto Wolff is now rushing to renew his contract with George Russell.”
Were Verstappen to join Aston Martin, he would reunite with legendary F1 car designer Adrian Newey.
Max Verstappen shuts down speculation
Verstappen attempted to shut down speculation surrounding his future ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he faced a grilling in Thursday’s press conference.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admitted after last weekend’s torrid Bahrain Grand Prix that he has “great concern” about Verstappen’s future with the team.
Asked about what was behind Marko’s comments, Verstappen replied: "I don't know, to be honest. I just keep working, keep trying to improve the car.
"Bahrain wasn't a great weekend for us. I think we were all pretty disappointed with that. We just keep on trying to improve the car, come up with new ideas to try on the car. The competition is tough. That's how I go about my weeks, just trying to improve the situation.”
Verstappen added: "A lot of people are talking about it, except me.
"I just want to focus on my car, work with the people in the team. That's the only thing that I'm thinking about in F1 at the moment. I'm very relaxed."
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