Horner addresses Verstappen’s future after ‘eye-watering’ Aston Martin rumour

Christian Horner has responded to talk of a big-money Aston Martin approach for Max Verstappen, insisting the Dutchman is “very happy” at Red Bull.

It was recently reported that Aston Martin had targeted four-time World Champion Verstappen – who holds a deal to race for Red Bull through 2028 – in a £1 billion package.

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During press sessions at this week’s F1 75 Live event in London, Red Bull team boss Horner was asked about the headlines and how he reacted when he saw them.

“I know you guys [the media] have all got column inches to fill over a winter period, but a billion-pound driver, a billion dollars, it would be an eye-wateringly large amount of money,” said Horner.

“I think Max is very happy in the environment that he’s in. He’s grown up in the team, he has a great relationship with the team, the engineers, the technicians and everybody that he works with.

“It’s down to us to provide a competitive car and continue to give him the platform to be able to achieve the results that he has over the last almost 10 years.”

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Pushed on whether it’s realistic for a team to afford such a salary, Horner added: “I can’t comment on other teams’ finances, but Red Bull are relatively well-positioned, I would think, compared to others within the pit lane.”

Verstappen was also asked for his comments on the reports when he met up with journalists, laughing with his initial response that “it’s a lot of money” before playing things down.

“Honestly, when I read that, it’s the first time that I saw something like that,” he said. “The only contact that I had with them was about GT3 for this year. That’s it. There’s not much to say, really, because there isn’t anything.”

Asked to clarify what the GT3 contact was about, he explained: “It’s not me personally driving, but I’m starting my own team for this year with the drivers, so, of course, some things need to be in place.”

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Verstappen will head into the 2025 season aiming to join an exclusive club of five-time World Champions, with Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton the only other drivers to achieve the feat.

Red Bull, meanwhile, are looking to reclaim the Constructors’ Championship crown, having won the 2022 and 2023 titles before slipping to third – behind McLaren and Ferrari – last time out.