Max Verstappen linked with $2 billion defection to Aston Marton
Max Verstappen has once again been linked to a bombshell move to Aston Martin, with reports emerging the British team has been telling potential sponsors the four-time world champion has signed a monumental deal.
According to The Daily Mail (UK), Aston Martin's commercial and marketing director Jefferson Slack has been telling prospective sponsors Verstappen will be joining the team "for the remainder of his career" on a deal worth nearly $2 billion.
It's unclear when the deal would begin, or how long it would last.
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Aston Martin, headed by billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll, already poached Adrian Newey on a three-year $150 million deal that also included equity in the team, which makes him a part owner.
Max Verstappen has been linked to a huge move to Aston Martin.. Getty
The Mail report indicated Verstappen's deal would be structured in a similar manner.
The Dutchman's salary at Red Bull is believed to be just shy of $100m a year. The Aston Martin deal is reportedly four times that.
Should it come to fruition, the deal would dwarf those of footballers Karim Benzema at Al-Ittihad (about $361m), Cristiano Ronaldo's at Al Nassr (about $346m), and MLB star Shohei Ohtani's $1b deal with the LA Dodgers.
While all three parties have denied the rumours, talk of a Verstappen split from Red Bull swirled on and off throughout 2024.
Verstappen has won the last four world championships with Red Bull. Getty
Early in the season, a rift was opened between team principal Christian Horner, Red Bull supremo Helmut Marko, and Max's father Jos over the team's handling of the investigation into Horner's "inappropriate behaviour" with a staffer.
Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028. Both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll - son of Lawrence - are contracted with Aston Martin until the end of 2026.
F1 will enter a new era of technical regulations for 2026, where Newey's aerodynamic expertise could lift Aston Martin to the front of the pack.
The 2025 F1 season begins in Melbourne on March 16.
