Max Verstappen reveals talks with Aston Martin as "$1B contract" rumors surface

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen admitted that he held talks with Aston Martin amidst rumors of the latter approaching him with a contract of $1 billion. The Dutch driver's future has been in the spotlight over the past year due to the internal team struggles of the Austrian brand since 2024.

The 27-year-old signed a contract extension with the Milton Keynes outfit at the end of the 2021 season when he won his first world championship with them. The new long-term deal sees him racing for them until the end of the 2028 season with some performance clauses as well.

Throughout the internal power struggle at Red Bull in the final half of last year, there were multiple reports linking him to a move to Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton. But the Dutchman decided to commit to the former world champions and honor his contract.

However, in the last couple of months, Max Verstappen has been linked to a move to Aston Martin in 2026 with rumors hinting at a possible $1B being offered by the British brand. Speaking to the media about the reports, Verstappen said (via SI):

"It's a lot of money. 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. It’s not me personally driving, but I’m starting my own team for this year with the drivers, so, of course, some things need to be in place.”

Max Verstappen won his fourth successive driver's title with Red Bull at the end of the 2024 season after seeing off the challenge from Lando Norris.

Red Bull team boss responds to Max Verstappen's rumors to Aston Martin

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated that he was startled by the amount of money reported by the media around the rumors of Max Verstappen's potential move to Aston Martin.

In a recent press conference, the Brit reflected on the Dutch driver's future with them and said (motociclismo.pt):

“I know you guys [the media] have all got column inches to fill over a winter period, but a billion-pound driver, a billion dollars, it would be an eye-wateringly large amount of money. I think Max is very happy in the environment that he’s in.

"He’s grown up in the team, he has a great relationship with the team, the engineers, the technicians, and everybody that he works with. It’s down to us to provide a competitive car and continue to give him the platform to be able to achieve the results that he has over the last almost 10 years.”

Max Verstappen has been part of the Red Bull family for over a decade, making his debut on the grid with its junior team Toro Rosso before shifting to the senior team in the middle of the 2016 season.