Why Aston Martin can dream of Verstappen after Newey signing
Aston Martin confirmed its blockbuster signing of Adrian Newey earlier this week, with the technical mastermind set to join the squad in early 2025.
It is a significant capture for the Silverstone-based outfit and it could create a ripple effect that brings an even bigger name to Aston Martin in the coming years.
The concept of Max Verstappen moving to Aston Martin is not at all strange – in fact, it has become more and more logical in recent times. With Mercedes also known to be chasing his signature, there are seemingly plenty of attractive options for Verstappen.
Naturally, it is hard to ignore Newey and his switch to Aston Martin – Verstappen and Newey hold each other in high regard for obvious reasons – Newey enjoys working with the three-time world champion, and vice versa.
All of Verstappen’s success has come at the hands of machines created by Newey, who is widely regarded as one of the sport’s greatest-ever car designers.
Newey would not be the only old acquaintance that Verstappen would meet at Aston Martin as Red Bull’s ex-head of aerodynamics Dan Fallows now works as the technical director of the Silverstone-based squad.
The elements that were interesting and attracted Newey to switch are also interesting for Verstappen.
Aston Martin employs incredibly bright minds who are working out of a state-of-the-art facility that opened up last year, which features a pristine wind tunnel.
Everything has been made possible by the money, but above all by the ambitions of Lawrence Stroll, who has repeatedly shown that he spares no expense to put together his dream team.
Money does not seem to play an immediate role for Stroll. Verstappen earns an astronomical amount at Red Bull, which other teams cannot easily spend on the star driver.
In addition, Verstappen has very clear agreements regarding personal sponsors and his life off the track. Aston Martin seem to have no immediate limits in this area and is also looking hard for a driver who can give the somewhat troubled sports car brand new motivation.
Attracting Verstappen would be a tremendous boost for Aston Martin – not only for the F1 team, but also for the sports car brand and its shareholders. Assuming that Alonso calls time on his F1 career in the coming years, there is an opportunity for Verstappen to take over the duties of his fellow world champion and have the team moulded around him.
If that’s what Verstappen wants, Stroll will arrange it for him.
Another key factor could be the possibility of Verstappen reuniting with Hoda, who will supply Aston Martin with power units in 2026.
It is no secret that Verstappen holds Honda in high regard after it helped power him to his maiden championship in 2021.
Honda is willing to go the extra mile for the Dutchman, as at the hands of the Dutchman, it was finally able to achieve podium finishes and race wins on a regular basis after years of struggles in F1.
As Stroll continues to develop his project and out all the elements of a successful squad in place, a keen eye will be fixed firmly on Verstappen and the possibility of snatching yet another key player from rivals Red Bull.
