The noise about Max Verstappen potentially leaving Red Bull continues to get louder as Formula One gears up for the Miami Grand Prix, the first race in the U.S. this season.
Aston Martin is set to offer Verstappen a three-year deal worth $300 million, according to a report Friday by Italian news outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport. The contract would reportedly be funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which owns about 20.5% of the team but is reportedly interested in acquiring a majority stake in the team. Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll is the current majority owner of the team, while his son, Lance, is one of the team’s two drivers.
Verstappen, who is third in the drivers’ championship, has been linked to Aston Martin given the recent struggles of Red Bull. While Aston Martin only sits at seventh in the constructors championship (Red Bull is third), they will adopt a Honda engine, like Red Bull, starting next season. They also poached legendary engineer Adrian Newey away from Red Bull this year.
The day before the report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Verstappen dismissed reports about potentially leaving Red Bull.
“It seems like everyone is talking about my future, except me. I’m focused on the car and working with the team,” Verstappen said, according to Dutch F1 writer Erik van Haren.
Verstappen’s current contract with Red Bull still runs until 2028. However, there are several ways for drivers to get out of their deals early, including exit clauses. Mercedes driver George Russell acknowledged Thursday that long-term contracts are somewhat meaningless.
“[Drivers] all got performance clauses, so a driver who is on a three-year contract, [it] doesn’t really mean anything if they’ve got an exit clause, or the team has an exit clause if the driver doesn’t perform,” Russell said.
Look no further than Red Bull for being open to swift changes. The team let go of Sergio Pérez before this year, despite having one year remaining on his contract, then replaced him with Liam Lawson. After just two races, Lawson was demoted to the Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s sister team, in favor of Yuki Tsunoda.
