Max Verstappen and Christian Horner rubbished rumours that the Dutchman had held talks with Aston Martin over a possible $1 billion deal with the team. (More Sports News)
𒆙Verstappen, who became just the fifth driver to win four consecutive Formula One world titles last year, has suggested he will not spend the rest of his career in the sport.
🌺The Dutchman has been open about his willingness to explore other forms of motorsport, meaning his time in F1 and Red Bull could come to an end.
ꩲIn 2022, however, Verstappen signed a new contract with Red Bull running until 2028, but rumours of unrest with the team saw his future become uncertain.
🐻And it was reported that Aston Martin, backed by a billionaire owner, Lawrence Stroll, was willing to offer Verstappen a deal worth $1 billion over the rest of his career.
♎When asked about a potential switch to Aston Martin, Verstappen said he had only spoken to the company regarding a supply deal for his newly created GT3 sports car team.
🎃"It's a lot of money," he said of the rumour. "Honestly, when I read that, it was the first time that I saw something like that.
♕"The only contact that I had with them was about GT3 for this year. That's it. There's not much to say really, because there isn't anything."
♎Ahead of the 2025 season, Aston Martin have already poached a crucial member of Red Bull's team from their recent world title successes.
𓃲Adrian Newey, considered F1's greatest designer in history, signed a five-year contract reportedly worth up to £30million earlier this year, with his aim of leading the team to the world title.
🐓Despite losing a key asset of their team, Red Bull chief Horner was confident Verstappen would remain with the team as long as they continued to stay competitive.
𒆙"I know you guys [the media] have all got column inches to fill over the winter period, but a billion-dollar driver would be an eye-wateringly large amount of money," he said.
ꦇ"But I think Max is very happy in the environment he's in.
𝄹"He's grown up in the team and has a great relationship with the team and the engineers and the technicians and everyone he works with.
🐬"It's down to us to provide a competitive car and continue to give him the platform to achieve the results he has over the last few years."
🌸Verstappen will begin his title defence at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16, hoping for a better result than he managed last season.
🔯After winning the first two races of the 2024 campaign, the Dutchman was forced to retire on lap four in Melbourne, halting his streak of nine consecutive wins.
