‘Mark a new era’: $2bn bombshell as Max linked to richest deal in sports

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That has been the modus operandi for Aston Martin since billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll took control of the team.

While the team have finished fifth for the last two F1 seasons, results haven’t always been there, failing to make a podium in 2024 after ageless wonder Fernando Alonso finished on the podium eight times in 2023.

But at 43, questions have been asked how much longer he has left in the sport despite nearly tripling his teammate Lance Stroll’s points tally in 2024.

And as Aston Martin’s signing of Red Bull’s chief technical officer, and the man behind that team’s success, in Adrian Newey for a reported $A40m a year — which is more than 18 of the 20 drivers on the grid — Stroll’s team have shown they’re only interested in getting to the top.

So after snagging Red Bull’s championship winning technical genius, who is widely considered the greatest car designer in F1 history, the team is reportedly chasing it’s championship winning driver.

The Daily Mail reported Aston Martin had told sponsors that Verstappen would join the team on a deal worth £1 billion ($A1.97bn).

“Aston Martin are telling potential sponsors that Max Verstappen will join them in their ambitious bid to win the world title, in a £1 billion deal that would be one of the biggest in the history of sport,” the report read.

“The four-time world champion’s contract could be worth up to £1 billion across the remainder of his career and would almost certainly include equity in the Silverstone-based team.”

Verstappen is on a reported £50 million ($A99m) a year at Red Bull.

The report suggested that Verstappen would be offered £200m ($A395m) per year under the Aston Martin deal, as well as getting equity in the team, making him a part owner.

The deal would be the richest in sporting history, surpassing Karim Benzema’s Al-Ittihad deal which is worth $US224m ($A361m) per year and Cristiano Ronaldo’s $US215m ($A346m) deal with Al Nassr.

Aston Martin have publicly denied they’re preparing the monster deal, with Crash.net reporting the Daily Mail was “wide of the mark”.

“An Aston Martin Aramco spokesperson categorically denied the story,” the team shared via Planet F1.

The Daily Mail report concedes that it’s a “a firm desire rather than a certain fact, for now”.

It also added that Aston Martin had spoken with the Verstappen camp, but more concerning the team’s endurance racing program.

But with Stroll’s lofty ambition’s backed by his $US3.8bn ($A6.1bn) fortune, it remains to be seen just how much the Canadian billionaire and 885th richest person in the world wants F1 success.

An insider told Motorcycle Sports that Aston Martin nabbing Verstappen “would mark the beginning of a new era” as the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren would all feel the shockwaves of the seismic move.

While Verstappen has pledged his allegiance to Red Bull, there has been talk all season about him making a move away from the team.

After Christian Horner’s sexting scandal and a reported fallout between the team principal and adviser Helmut Marko, a clause was revealed in Verstappen’s contract that if Marko was ousted, the Dutchman would be able to break his contract, which is meant to run to the end of the 2028 season.

Alonso is also signed until the end of the 2026 season, having extended his deal last year.

There’s also uncertainty in the Red Bull garage with the loss of Newey as well losing the constructor’s title for the first time since 2021.

And with Red Bull moving from Honda power units to Ford from 2026 under the new technical regulations, while Aston Martin will move from Mercedes to Honda, Verstappen could choose to stay with what he knows and jump ship to reunite with Newey.

It will definitely be something to keep an eye on.

But in the meantime, it could be a tough year for the Silverstone-based outfit.

With Newey not starting until March and the clear technical focus on hitting the ground running in 2026 under the new technical regulations, the team have been tipped to struggle in 2025.

“I would say Aston Martin will be the biggest disappointment of 2025,” former world champion Jacques Villeneuve told Action Network.

“Not because they will do a bad job, but because people are expecting them to start winning because Adrian Newey is there, but he hasn’t had time yet to have an effect on the team so the expectations from outsiders and fans will be misplaced.

“It will be disappointing not because of bad results but because they won’t be what people are wanting and hoping to see with Newey there. It takes time.”