Aston Martin “more attractive” due to Adrian Newey amid Max Verstappen rumour
“We are more attractive for drivers…”
Mike Krack says Adrian Newey’s signing by the Aston Martin Formula 1 team makes it “more attractive for drivers”.
Aston announced on Tuesday prior to this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix that it had signed legendary designer Newey for 2025 in a deal thought to be worth up to £30 million a year.
The move comes as F1 gets set for a new regulations cycle in 2026, with Newey instrumental in helping Red Bull hit the ground running with the current generation of cars that debuted in 2022.
While it’s a statement signing by Aston Martin in the short-term as it looks to drag itself into the frontrunning battle, having slipped down the order in 2024, Newey’s arrival is being touted as phase one of snaring a major driver name in the coming seasons.
In Baku on Thursday, team boss Krack didn’t rule out the prospect of triple world champion Max Verstappen joining the team in future, noting “the door is always open”.
When asked by Sky F1 on Friday if Newey could act as an advertisement for a driver like Verstappen, Krack said: “First of all, I think the drivers are not our problem.
“We have a car that is not performing and this is the first task for us as a team.
“Confidence will help with this, but it is also not automatic.
“Just because you sign someone that everything is just pink.
“You have to work hard but you have to make this structure work, get the best out of it, first of all from a roll and responsibility point of view, then you have to work hard like every other team does.
“And then I think there’s a chance we can do well. But first of all we have to do all that homework, that we have the right allocation of responsibilities and have the motivation to with everybody.
“We have a lot of young people who will likely join us now to get inspired by someone like Adrian.
“I think as a team in general we are just more attractive now, we are more attractive for partners, for drivers, for engineers. So, it’s cool.”
Aston isn’t likely to undergo any major driver changes before 2026, with Fernando Alonso signed up until then, while Lance Stroll - whose father Lawrence owns the team - has a deal for 2025 "and beyond".
