"Habibi": Fans left gobsmacked as Max Verstappen reportedly offered €264 million by rival to leave Red Bull

F1 fans were left shocked after the reports of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen being offered €264 million to leave the Austrian team emerged ahead of the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It has been a tough start to the 2025 campaign for the Dutch driver as he has won only a single race out of four outings thus far.

The four-time F1 world champion is currently P3 in the driver standings behind the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Due to Milton Keynes outfit's failure to address issues with the RB21 from last year, the rumors of the Dutchman's exit have resurfaced once again, similar to 2024.

However, as reported by Gazzetta, Max Verstappen has been offered a whopping €264 million by Aston Martin to leave Red Bull and race for them from next year. It is claimed that the Saudi Investment Fund, which already owns 20% of the Silverstone-based outfit, wants to acquire the remaining shares from Lawrence Stroll and splash money on bringing the 27-year-old.

It is being reported that the British team would offer a three-year contract to Max Verstappen that would see him earn €88 million per year, up from his $55 million with Red Bull.

F1 fans gave their reactions to the news regarding Max Verstappen's future on X, with one reacting:

"Habibi."

"That's bs, Max isn't that cheap, and Stroll isn't selling. Can't believe people are falling for these."

"88M per year damn and with all his sponsors also😭120M per year for sure," wrote a fan.

Here are some more reactions:

"Aston seems like the only team he would go to, I honestly believe that," said a fan.

"That money tax-free, Max won't refuse. Red Bull are f***ed," claimed another.

"Please, for the love of god, give us the Alonso Max team. We need to bench the window licker," wished another.

Max Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season, which he signed after winning his maiden title in 2021.

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Fernando Alonso gives his take on Max Verstappen potentially joining Aston Martin

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso stated that he would be happy with Max Verstappen being his teammate, but he was unsure of the likelihood of the prospect.

In the pre-race press conference, the two-time F1 world champion said:

"Yes, but it’s unlikely to happen.

The 64-time F1 race winner also commented on his future and added:

"Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, honestly, a lot of people are talking about it, except me. Like I said before, 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 Formula 1 at the moment. I’m very relaxed."

The Red Bull driver has reiterated that he was focused on improving the problems of the 2025 challenger, and was not concerned about the media attention to his future in the team.