Max Verstappen has curiously not dismissed the possibility of joining Adrian Newey at Aston Martin. Newey, a renowned F1 designer whose vehicles have secured 13 titles for Red Bull, confirmed his move to Aston this week, sparking rumours that triple F1 champion Verstappen could be next on billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll’s wish list.
Mike Krack, team principal, stated that the “door is always open” for the Dutchman if he chooses to leave Red Bull. Despite currently focusing on Red Bull’s sudden downturn, Verstappen conceded that Newey’s presence at Aston Martin makes the team more appealing.
He commented: “Lawrence, of course, is pushing flat out to make it a success with Aston Martin, so it’s quite understandable that he wants to have Adrian on his side. I have other worries at the moment that I’m paying a lot of attention to and working on. That is maybe something for the future that I think about, but not now.
“I’ve worked with him, I know how he is as a person and what he can do. I think everyone would like to work with Adrian in their career, so potentially it does [make Aston more attractive].”
Newey was pursued by several teams, and his manager, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan, revealed he had “long discussions” with Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton recently expressed his desire to collaborate with the 65-year-old, but insists he won’t lose any sleep over missing out on the opportunity when he moves to Maranello next year.
He exclaimed: “Whilst I mentioned before that it would be an honour to work with Adrian, I’ve been privileged to work with two championship-winning teams that didn’t have Adrian.
“I think any team would have been happy to have had him but, at the end of the day, he had to do what was best for him. It doesn’t change anything for me – I’m focused on my next move. I still believe 100 per cent that there’s lots that we can do.”
Fernando Alonso will indeed be collaborating with Newey and remarked that he personally requested the renowned designer to accompany him to Aston Martin during a private chat. The experienced driver recognized that Newey’s influence might not manifest until 2026 – by which time he will be 45 and approaching the twilight of his current contract.
Regardless of his actions post-2026, Alonso remains resolute about reaping personal gains. He asserted: “I will be driving in 2026… After 2026 I will be driving, in Formula 1 or in another series. If I’m not driving in Formula 1, I will be in the Aston Martin team, somehow. So I will enjoy that bright future.”
