Aston Martin F1’s signing of Adrian Newey sparks rumors of Max Verstappen’s dramatic move from Red Bull.
Shortly after Adrian Newey decided to sign with Aston Martin F1, Max Verstappen is already linked to an equally sensational transfer from Red Bull.
Team owner Lawrence Stroll is already in negotiations with the three-time world champion, while Max’s father, Jos, was already flirting with Mercedes to find an exit for his son.
But Newey’s arrival at the Greens could change things. Asked in Baku this morning, Mike Krack, the team director, makes no secret of his interest in Verstappen.
“The door is always open for Max Verstappen, for everything. When you manage to sign Adrian Newey, it’s primarily proof that the project is credible, that all of Lawrence’s vision is not just words, but a real action on which we can rely as a team.”
“It’s not an outsider team as it was in the past, it’s a team that must be sure it can succeed, but you also now have a completely different approach with partners and drivers. Newey’s signing opens many doors for the future.”
Krack added that he thought Newey’s arrival would make the team attractive to all drivers but also all engineers.
“We will be more attractive in all areas, simply because we signed Newey. Due to the increased credibility, it proves that the project can really achieve its goals, and if I were at university and saw this signing, I would say, ‘I can probably learn most of my knowledge there, so let’s try to get there’. So I think there will be that effect.”
The team director admits he was delighted to finally see the announcement made.
“It’s very exciting for all of us. I’m still smiling, can you see me smiling? It was hard not to smile. I think it’s fantastic news for us as a team. The excitement is huge. It was a very poorly kept secret. But when the news was communicated internally, it was simply huge to see 800 people applauding. Then when Adrian took the stage, it was even more impressive. It was really nice, very impressive.”
And Krack was also happy for Fernando Alonso.
“I think it’s clear that Fernando has a long future in this team, despite his age. He was all excited about this on Tuesday as well when we had the discussions. He even said he would give part of his salary to pay Adrian. There was talk of 10%, 20%. So, I will find out later today how much that actually amounts to, if I can make some savings (laughs).”
“You can really see the huge respect these two people have for each other. I think they want to accomplish something. Adrian has always wanted to work with someone like Fernando and vice versa.”
“So I think we need to try to put everything in place and also facilitate good collaboration between the two of them. Between the two drivers and Adrian, of course. We know he attends the races quite often and that’s still something we need to facilitate to try to learn as much as possible. Be open and flexible.”
Newey won’t arrive until early March 2025, so the 2026 F1 project will have already started. Krack assures that everything will be done to ensure the designer can have the maximum influence on the design.
“Honestly, there will still be enough time. Obviously, we can’t start before January 1st with the aerodynamics work and the packaging and all those sorts of things can still be changed.”
“I think the basic package, we clearly know where the engine and gearbox are, then it’s a matter of adjustment. But we must not forget that the regulations are also quite restrictive in some areas, so there’s not much freedom in quite a few things.”
“Then, it’s up to us to adapt. We need to be ready to maybe tweak the project plan a bit to incorporate his new ideas or maybe his suggestions from innovative thinking or a different angle.”
“Adrian will arrive in March but he also needs to get to know everyone. He won’t be designing parts for us on March 2nd! But we will see how to curb certain parts of the project where he can add great value.”
Newey also had discussions with Ferrari but was ultimately drawn to the Aston Martin project, the rapid development of the Silverstone-based team, and shares in the team estimated between 2 and 3%.
“We managed to attract the best,” said Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa, “and that’s because Adrian thinks the team is ready for him. Not all teams are ready to bring in a personality like Adrian Newey.”
De la Rosa insists he did not know Newey had signed until the rest of the world found out as well.
“We knew absolutely nothing, I can assure you. The truth is we knew nothing, but we knew it was a dream scenario. It’s very significant news for the history of Aston Martin in Formula 1. I think it clearly marks a before and after.”
De la Rosa said he realized how serious Lawrence Stroll was about succeeding in F1 when he began targeting multiple world champions.
“The fact that he signed Fernando (Alonso) showed his willingness to see a world champion leave and react immediately by signing another,” said the Spaniard, referring to Sebastian Vettel.
“That’s what he did with Fernando, that’s what he’s doing now with Adrian – always relying only on the best to grow the team.”
But even as new rumors of Verstappen to Aston start to swell, Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore warns that the team cannot simply hope to buy success through high-profile individuals.
“Formula 1 is actually not a sport of egos,” said the Italian. “A single man cannot change a team. Sure, they can buy whatever they want, but the outcome in F1 is not directly related to their purchases.”
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