Horner finally bats away billion-dollar Verstappen buzz

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Red Bull's Christian Horner has finally weighed in on the wild rumor that Aston Martin might dangle a staggering one billion dollars to snatch Max Verstappen from his team.

The "eye-wateringly large" figure made the headlines in the wake of a story published last month by the Daily Mail, but was categorically dismissed by Aston Martin although insiders believe that talks between Lawrence Stroll's outfit and the Verstappen camp are, or were, at the very least, ongoing.

Last Tuesday, at the F1 75 Live launch event in London, Horner faced the media's spotlight and swatted away the speculation like a pesky fly, while Verstappen himself couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity.

"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," Horner said, barely hiding his amusement.

The idea of Verstappen swapping Red Bull red for Aston Martin green? To Horner, it's more fantasy than fact.

"I think Max is very happy in the environment that he's in," he insisted. "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."

For Horner, it's simple: keep the car fast, keep Max happy.

"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," he added, his tone brimming with confidence.

The Spark That Lit the Gossip Fire

How did we even get here? Rewind to 2024 – a year Red Bull would rather forget. Horner's sexting scandal kicked off a soap opera that had the team brawling internally, while Adrian Newey's exit to Aston Martin tossed fuel on the rumor mill.

Then there was Red Bull's shaky season – Verstappen's wizardry behind the wheel was the only thing keeping their championship trophy polished.

Naturally, the paddock started whispering: could Max jump ship? Enter Aston Martin with this billion-dollar bombshell, and suddenly, everyone's got an opinion.

But Horner's not sweating their bank accounts. When pressed on whether Aston Martin – or anyone – could cough up that kind of cash, he shrugged it off with a sly dig.

"I can't comment on other teams' finances," he said. "But Red Bull are relatively well-positioned, I would think, compared to others within the pit lane." Translation? We've got this covered, thanks.

Max Laughs It Off

Verstappen couldn't help but crack a smile when the billion-dollar rumor hit his ears.

"It's a lot of money," he said, jokingly stating the obvious before setting the record straight.

"Honestly, when I read that, it's the first time that I saw something like that," he said, sounding more bemused than tempted.

Any chats with Aston Martin? Hardly.

"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," he explained, shutting down the hype with a casual shrug.

Wait, GT3? Yep, Max clarified that too.

"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," he said.

A billion bucks might sound like a Hollywood plot twist, but for now, Max seems comfy in Red Bull's cockpit.

Horner's betting on performance over paychecks to keep their star driver—and with a decade of wins under their belt, it's a gamble he's willing to take.

As for that billion-dollar whisper? It's likely just another wild lap in F1's never-ending drama race.

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