Why Aston Martin’s $1 Billion Offer for Max Verstappen Is Not as Ridiculous as It Sounds, Tells F1 Journo

During the winter break, the F1 rumor mill generated a staggering notion of Max Verstappen moving to Aston Martin on a $1 billion deal. After The Daily Mail’s initial report of this deal, many deemed this number unrealistic, and Aston Martin quickly downplayed the chances of the move materializing.

Even for an elite champion driver like Verstappen, it would be unimaginable to earn so much money in salary and bonuses.

The salary numbers in F1 have gone up with Lewis Hamilton having a reported yearly salary and bonus of around $80-100 million at Ferrari in his 2+1 year deal. But $1 billion seems quite far-fetched.

Or is it?

While Aston and Verstappen have denied any possibility of a potential deal, F1 journalist Laurence Edmondson feels that there is no smoke without fire.

He stated on ESPN’s Unlapped podcast how there has been some kind of contact between the Silverstone-based outfit and the four-time world champion. However, he isn’t sure whether that was about an F1 switch or something else around Verstappen’s GT3 team plans.

Regardless, Edmondson has tried to make sense of the rumored $1 billion deal.

“I think it was 1 billion over the rest of Verstappen’s career, so assuming he went even next year or in 2027, you’ll probably be looking at over the space of five or six years depending on how long he would want to commit to it,” he said.

Edmondson also explained how such contractual values are rarely accurate given the amount of secrecy F1 teams maintain around their drivers’ contract lengths and salary numbers.

Still, a $1 billion deal would mean that Verstappen earns around $200 million per year, making it the highest salary any F1 driver has ever received — if such a deal materializes at all.

The ESPN journalist feels, apart from the sky-high rumored salary, Verstappen moving to Aston Martin may actually be a great move for both parties.

Aston Martin may want the ultimate duo of Adrian Newey and Verstappen

The success Red Bull has enjoyed since 2021 has largely been driven by two key figures — Adrian Newey and Max Verstappen. The British designer’s aerodynamic brilliance and the Dutchman’s impeccable on-track ability have cemented Red Bull’s dominance over the past four seasons.

Aston Martin hopes to replicate this lethal combination to fuel their championship ambitions. Edmondson highlighted that a team like Aston Martin, backed by Lawrence Stroll’s deep pockets, can afford to invest in elite talent like Newey and Verstappen.

While Stroll has already secured Newey on a five-year deal worth $40 million annually, landing the reigning world champion would be the final piece in realizing his championship dream.

Edmondson also believes that “reuniting Verstappen and Newey at one team is the quickest way to win a world championship.” So, it wouldn’t be entirely outlandish if the Canadian business magnate were to offer Verstappen a record-breaking paycheck to lure him to Aston Martin.