Aston Martin is not seeking to attract sponsors through the call of Max Verstappen as a decoy, a spokesman clarified.
A British media report reported on Thursday that Lawrence Stroll’s Aston Martin team was looking to secure sponsors stating that Max Verstappen would sign up for the team in the near future.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Jefferson Slack, Aston Martin’s director of advertising and marketing, is courting sponsors by claiming that four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen is close to joining the team.
The claims have been strenuously denied by Aston Martin, with a spokesperson telling PlanetF1.com in a statement: “An Aston Martin Aramco spokesperson categorically denied the story”.
The Silverstone-based team will back Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in F1 2025, with both drivers under contract for the next two seasons. Verstappen also has a contract with Red Bull Racing until the end of the 2028 season.
The Daily Mail claims Slack is pitching to potential investors with claims Verstappen will join the squad in a £1 billion deal which would be one of the biggest in F1’s history – the report also claims Verstappen would ‘almost certainly’ include equity in the team.
Driver contracts currently fall outside F1’s budget cap, which restricts team spending in areas such as the car and performance.
The report admits the pitches made to potential investors are being made as a ‘firm desire rather than a certain fact’.
Verstappen’s future with Red Bull did appear shaky at points throughout the F1 2024 season, with Mercedes’ boss Toto Wolff openly courting him as a potential successor for seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who is joining Ferrari this year.
The Dutch driver endured an eventful year for Red Bull to win their fourth World Championship and recently said he would like to continue his career with the Milton Keynes-based team.
“It is not like I need to try to win the World Championship somewhere else,” said Verstappen.
“That is not a desire from my side. I am just happy where I am at.
“And it would also be very nice if you could stay with a team and compete there forever. I would like that [it may be only with Red Bull]. That is the objective.
“Do I care about an inheritance? No, I don’t put a price on my good fortune by what other people say. If I’m happy, that’s all that matters.
“In sports you also need a little luck to be on the smart team for a long time. This does mean that the one with the most titles is the best. »
Verstappen has also warned that his time in F1 could be decided by how much he enjoys the new regulations that Formula 1 switches to next season – increased electrification and the removal of the MGU-K on the power unit side will go alongside extensive chassis and aero changes.
While the driving sensations will change drastically, Verstappen has made it clear that if he doesn’t like the rules, he probably won’t stay.
? Max Verstappen car collection: What supercars does the F1 world champion own?
? The fact Jos Verstappen, Max Verstappen and the petrol station
The points that may influence his decision on the team in Formula 1 are likely to be the intermediation in Red Bull’s competitiveness under the new regulations. Honda, who have propelled him to all of his titles, are leaving to boost Aston Martin at the end of this season, while Stroll’s team has also secured the signing of Adrian Newey.
The famous car designer, who oversaw the design of all of Verstappen’s race-winning cars between 2021 and 2024, will start work at Aston Martin on March 3; has taken on the role of managing technical partner and shareholder of the team.
The Daily Mail claims Verstappen’s current £50m-a-year income earner will be dwarfed by a “name your price” offer, speculating that figure could rise to £200m-a-year if he makes the decision to stay with Newey and Aston. Martin.
An anonymous source was quoted as saying: “Jefferson, or Jeff as he is known to others, said Max was going to sign up for Aston Martin. It could be a ploy, adding an extra cost to the deal you want to make, but bringing Max in makes a lot of sense, too.
“We believe that Adrián thinks that Lance Stroll (son of owner Lawrence) is a fairly intelligent driver. And that Fernando Alonso, at 43 years old, is too old.
“Adrian is determined to be successful once he returns and wants to work with the best.
“They gave Adrián a bet to leave Red Bull and it is very likely that they will do the same with Max.
Read next: Franco Colapinto de Villeneuve’s damning verdict confirmed with Alpine