F1 Today | Reaction to Aston Martin's Verstappen bid, plus Oakes interview
F1 News
It may been January, but the F1 rumour mill does not stop spinning, and today, it spilt out an almighty story. According to Daily Mail, Aston Martin are targetting to sign Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing with a mammoth contract, with sponsors also in talks about the potential move. Along with this, GPblog have an exclusive interview with Oliver Oakes, Alpine team boss, plus Toto Wolff explains how Mercedes almost broke the 2024 cap rules.
'Aston Martin to target Verstappen with huge bid'
Today, news broke of a deal that has been discussed between Aston Martin and potential sponsors of the British team, telling them that Max Verstappen will join the team. The Silverstone-based team are aiming to have a shot at the World Championship, and they possibly hope to bring the Dutchman in to help with that challenge.
Aston Martin are rumoured to attract Verstappen's services with a deal of more than £1 billion. Of course, that would be split across multiple seasons, with £200 million a year being the expected salary. Of course, the British team previously brought in Adrian Newey on a huge contract to try and boost their title aspirations, and from the 2026 season onwards, Honda will be their power unit suppliers.
In a rumour broke by the Daily Mail, it is understood that Jefferson Slack, the managing director of Aston Martin, has recently spoken to potential investors about Verstappen joining, a rumour that has been declined by the British team. There has already been some reaction from the Dutchman's camp on this rumour too.
Recently-appointed Oakes speaks to GPblog
It has only been a few months since Bruno Famin was sacked as Alpine team principal, replaced by the young and hungry Oliver Oakes. In that short period of time since signing in July 2024, the impression he has given at the French team has been superb, with the turnaround shown in a fantastic final few races of the season.
Alpine started 2024 in a dreadful spot, finishing stone-dead last at the Bahrain Grand Prix and in store for a bleak season. However, fast-forward to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and thanks to the superb double-podium at the Brazilian Grand Prix that Oakes oversaw, Alpine jumped up the standings and finished sixth amongst constructors, a major shock and a huge result.
Now, alongside CEO Luca de Meo and the CEO's advisor and former F1 team principal Flavio Briatore, there is a clear direction that they want to take for the 2025 season. To read about that, and about the changes made at the French team, be sure to click the link above!
Mercedes close to 2024 cost cap limit says Wolff
Although they were able to seal some race wins in 2024, it was a season that Mercedes and Toto Wolff will want to forget, unable to challenge for any titles. However, it could have been a disastrous year for the German team had they breached the cost cap for last year, something that almost happened said Wolff.
While speaking to Auto, Motor und Sport, the CEO and team principal of Mercedes said they were "very close" to going over the spending limit within a season, saying that they had to cancel some updates because of the issues they had recording the cost cap.
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