Red Bull and Max Verstappen continue to be plagued by rumours that the world champion is open to a move elsewhere and the Dutchman is now said to have a huge offer on the table
Max Verstappen is said to be mulling over a mega-money contract offer from Aston Martin as the reigning world champion considers his future with Red Bull. And it’s even been suggested that the 27-year-old is ‘determined’ to seek pastures new.
Speculation over Verstappen’s future has been rife in recent months and the poor performance of Red Bull’s car in last week’s Bahrain GP – where the Dutchman finished sixth – has further fuelled talk that the four-time world champion will soon move on.
Lewis Hamilton has already been involved in a blockbuster move after announcing his intention to swap Mercedes for McLaren last season – and there are some who expect Verstappen to also jump ship.
A new report from Italy, via La Gazzetta, claims that Verstappen has a lucrative contract offer from Aston Martin on the table. It’s said the proposal, which would be financed by the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia, is ‘the biggest in F1’ history and would see Verstappen land a handsome payday worth $300 million (£226m) across the next three years should he decide to accept it.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton agrees with ‘crisis’ claims before Saudi GP as Ferrari struggles continueREAD MORE: Lando Norris explains one thing he did to get over Bahrain GP blues – ‘I needed a reset’
Furthermore, the report implies that Verstappen actively wants to leave Red Bull at the end of the season, despite insisting publicly that he is happy where he is.
Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko admitted after the Bahrain GP that “the concern is great” that they could lose Verstappen to a rival team unless improvements are made. It was recently claimed that Verstappen, whose deal has a further three years to run, includes a ‘performance-related release clause’ which could aid him if he does decide to make an exit.
Verstappen, on his part, has remained adamant publicly that he is not angling for a Red Bull exit. He gave talk of an exit short shrift when it was put to to him ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Sky Sports launches discounted Formula 1 package
Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky’s new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192.
As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
“Honestly a lot of people are talking about it except me,” he said. “I just want to focus on my car and work with the people in my team. That is all I am thinking about in F1 at the moment.
“I am happy [at Red Bull], I’m just not very happy with our car. But that goes for everyone, we all want to be better, there’s no secret about that. That’s what we’re trying to improve.”
