Not many could believe their eyes when they read that Adrian Newey would earn $123 million (£100 million) at Aston Martin. Little did the F1 world know that they may face another surprise.
That happened when reports of a $1.23 billion (£1 billion) offer for Max Verstappen to jump ship to Aston Martin emerged. However, as staggering as the offer is, it does not surprise 1978 F1 champion Mario Andretti.
The American racing icon, having worked with Newey and witnessed Verstappen’s magic on the track, knows how much the duo are worth. Awaiting the entry of his own team Cadillac, Andretti would go to any extent to get Verstappen and Newey on board.
“‘Let’s be honest. If you surround yourself with individuals who have proven themselves and shown that they are the best, then you almost have a guarantee that you are going to get results. Let’s be honest. Who wouldn’t want Adrian Newey and Max Verstappen in their team? I would give my right arm to have them in my team. So, I understand Aston Martin,” Andretti told F1 Maximaal.
Aston Martin’s plot to take over F1
£1BILLION deal for Verstappen
The 1 thing Max wants if he is to leave Red Bull
️ A Canadian billionaire, a genius who can see air and a devilish plot – fittingly James Bond for Aston@JonathanMcEvoy7 ⬇️https://t.co/NlYY8FcygV— George Bond (@_georgebond) January 16, 2025
Lawrence Stroll has certainly not spared any expense to try and turn his team’s fortunes around. The Canadian business tycoon has time and again reiterated that he is not in F1 just for the sake of it. Winning the championship is the ultimate goal. And to get there, Stroll knows too well that he would need geniuses like Newey on his side.
Verstappen, despite his immense talent, is not a part of the plan, though. Aston Martin, per Motorsportweek, clarified to put to rest the £1 billion offer speculations.
Verstappen to Aston Martin never made sense
Lawrence may want to win the world championship, but his intention of doing it with his son, Lance Stroll, is an open secret. That automatically rules out the addition of a driver like Verstappen, who would never accept another driver being prioritized over him.
Moreover, the Dutchman has made clear his intention to serve the full length of his contract with Red Bull. The reigning champion stood tall with the team even during the tumultuous 2024 season which was marred by several off-track controversies at Red Bull.
to GPBlog, max’s team has issued the following statement about the rumors of him moving to aston martin with an offer of £1 billion:
“that’s nice.” pic.twitter.com/q32ObFn6T4
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) January 16, 2025
The only time Verstappen threatened to jump ship was when Helmut Marko’s place in the team was at risk. Taking advantage of the warning, Toto Wolff made an attempt to lure him to Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton.
The #1 driver later acknowledged that he was in talks with the Austrian but never intended to leave Red Bull before 2028. Does that mean that Aston Martin or Mercedes have a chance at signing Verstappen in 2029? Seems unlikely given his wish to call it quits early in F1 to explore other ventures.
