Aston Martin told to sign Max Verstappen as Adrian Newey influence questioned

F1 legend Juan Pablo Montoya has urged Aston Martin to sign Max Verstappen to capitalise on the signing of Adrian Newey.

Aston Martin announced the signing of Newey last month to spearhead their technical team for 2025.

It’s the latest high-profile signing by Lawrence Stroll as they look to become a world championship-winning outfit in the coming years.

Since the signing of Newey, one hot topic of discussion has been the signing of Verstappen.

While Verstappen is out of contract at the end of 2028, it’s believed that he has a number of exit clauses in his contract.

Verstappen has been heavily linked to Mercedes, but with Aston Martin now having Newey and Honda, it could tempt the Dutchman into a move.

Speaking to Gambling Zone, Montoya said:  “He's one of those guys that is very good at thinking outside the box. What Lawrence Stroll has done is amazing, he’s got the Honda deal that Red Bull had before, and now he’s got Newey. He's got the two main elements that  probably made Red Bull have so much success.

“The question is, is next year going to make a huge difference with Adrian? I don't see it. What Adrian's doing is going to be about what happens in 2026. I think in the medium term, the prospects for Aston Martin are good. They're going to be in an amazing place.

“The missing ingredient is to get the right driver, a driver to get the job done.

Fernando is amazing. How long can he go on? I don't think Lance is going anywhere.”

Fernando Alonso is tied down to Aston Martin until the end of 2026.

But given his age, it’s a question of time before he has to finally end his F1 career.

Montoya added:  “Fernando is not a long term option. When do they make that decision and go, ‘Hey, we’ve got the Honda, we’ve got Newey. Why not go after Max? That would involve offering Max the same kind of deal that Newey got but a better one to do.

“Because then it's a long term project. Then you have one of the best drivers in the world, if not the best, the current best driver in the championship and the better he does, the more money he's going to make long term. Because the company is going to be worth even more.”