Marko teases Verstappen-Newey REUNION over 'logical' move

Helmut Marko has spoken out in surprising fashion on reports of Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull.

Last month saw reports of a historic £1bn deal being offered to Verstappen's camp to lure him away to Aston Martin before the end of his current contract, which would see him join back up with legendary designer Adrian Newey.

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Newey will start work on the team's 2026 car this year, having designed all four of the Dutchman's championship-winning Red Bulls, and Verstappen's camp was initially coy on the reports, simply saying 'that's a lot of money' without any firm denial.

Verstappen has since distanced himself from the reports somewhat, insisting that his only contact with Lawrence Stroll's team this winter has been over their GT3 car offering, with which a Verstappen.com team are intending to compete in the GT World Challenge.

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Could Verstappen leave Red Bull for a rival?

Red Bull kingmaker Marko has added his own thoughts on the matter as the new season approaches, admitting that an offer from Aston Martin for an F1 seat would be a logical step for Stroll and his team.

The Austrian told Motorsport-Total.com: "It's no secret that Newey is a big Max fan. And then it's only logical that they make him an offer."

He continued: "If you have a Newey who certainly expresses his own ideas and wishes on the driver side, it would only be logical if Aston Martin tried to make Max an offer.

"Officially, the contact came about through Max's passion for GT, and Max is the team owner and drives these GT cars himself on a regular basis, and apparently the Aston Martin is one of the most interesting cars in terms of its base. A car like this will be built into Max's GT structure."

He continued: "I doubt whether [the offer] is really that high, especially with Aston Martin's current share price. It is said to have been a high offer. But we do not know whether the offer really existed."

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